Ride of Your Life
by JZ65
Summary: Mean Girls 2 fanficiton. This is a Jo/Mandi. Don't like, don't read. Are these two the definition of "opposites attract" or are they going to rip each other to pieces? Can they even be friends let alone together? I guess you'll just have to find out.
1. The Track

**All right, I don't really do fanfics for this sort of thing, but this just popped into my head and I literally wrote three chapters in one night. I've been writing for hours, and I just figured that if I put these out there then they won't be swirling around in my head. I'll only be updating according to how many reviews I get. This is strictly a "as inspiration comes to me" type of fanfic. But just as a hint, inspiration always hits me when I receive REVIEWS and/or PM's. So feel free to do so.**

**I don't own Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2... or anything really.**

**-JZ**

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><p>High school, where if you play your cards right, you only spend four years looking over your shoulder and trying to dodge social chaos. But if you screw up, those four years can feel like forty, killing self pride and murdering your sense of morals. We all know how the race starts. Elementary school, where you find friends, invite everyone to parties, and all the kids are just a bunch of snot nosed, whiny, teary eyed brats. Then comes Middle school, where all the fun begins. You learn valuable lessons, like friends can stab you in the back much easier now, being the hottest couple is way more important than your spelling words, and there are friends that you just hang out with and friends that you would trust your darkest secrets. Middle schools acts as a transition to the hell of high school, giving students little glimpses at the heat and competition in their near future. If you don't burn a little rubber, you sure as hell aren't going fast enough.<p>

High school, now that's where the race track branches off. Freshman year is usually when you find your pit crew for the next years of your hell, or in some people's case, paradise. Your crew needs to have your back, keep you prim and ready for the next time you'll have to bust out onto the track. A good pit crew is like… well, a good pit crew. You can't really win if you can't get new tires and fuel when you need them, or if the information you're getting isn't right. In high school, people call these pit crews "cliques" because… well NASCAR terms aren't "cool" in high school, I guess. Cliques are everywhere. There are the jocks, band geeks, nerds, music heads (who are different than band geeks because they usually are in a band… cool band, not one with a bald guy directing from some big podium), skaters, drama, and you have your computer techs… and pretty much any other thing you can think of. But one clique that no school is complete without, and trust me I would know, is the "Mean Girls" or as I like to call them Fake Bitches.

So there you have it. A special preview at the competition all lined up at North Shore High School, where I'm going to spend my senior year. After this, I'll be able to settle down at college. When I say "settle down" I mean going to the same school for longer than a year. I've been to twelve schools in eight years. I'm not complaining, I understand better than most girls that you adapt. My dad works on NASCAR racecars, and we usually move to be closer to the headquarters of our latest contract. He gets six month contracts, on average, with one racecar, and we work on it and tune it up… all that shit. My dad is great at his job, but income always depends on how the races go… the economy… and the driving capability of the driver. He's worked on racecars all my life, and so have I. I know a lot about cars, trucks, motorcycles… let's just say that if it has an engine, I know how to put it together and take it apart, and probably fix it. Of course, I don't like to waste my time on lawn mowers, so don't get any ideas.

My name is Jo Mitchell, and I'm a seventeen year old tomboy.

Powerful statement, I know. I've learned a lot over the years. I'm not some emotionally crippled, sarcastic chick with an overly developed defense mechanism… okay, I am, but that hardly has anything to do with it. I've got a strict set of rules that I follow:

Never make a spectacle of yourself.

Stick up for yourself, because you is all you've got.

Lay low and don't form any attachments.

Never involve teachers.

Relationships don't end well.

Oh yeah, and I should probably add that I'm gay. I'm a lesbian, so if you've got a problem, either deal with it or tell me to my face, because I'd gladly punch it out of you. I'm partially openly gay… makes sense right? Well here is how I see it. If nobody asks, then there isn't any point in bringing it up. If somebody does ask, acting like your scared certainly won't help so might as well not hide it. I don't hit on every girl I see, because let's all be honest: girls are very emotional. I'm not, and there are some that aren't, but in general… emotions tend to run high for teenage women. And the last thing I need is drama.

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><p><strong>Yup, this is a JoMandi fic... So if you don't like it, don't read it. No one is forcing you to. Alright, please leave REVIEWS and/or PM's. Don't forget that anonymous reviews are gladly accepted. I'll only update according to inspiration... so inspire me!**

**-JZ**


	2. Pit Crew

**Alright, so I've got one more chapter after this already written. As I said before, I'll only update according to the amount of feedback that I recieve. Thus REVIEW and/or PM me! haha, i hope you all enjoy this. Also, I gladly accept anonamous REVIEWS.**

**I don't own Mean Girls 2.**

**-JZ**

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><p>"Jo, get ready for school. I've got to go down to the track. I'll be back… later!" Rod Mitchell shouted down the hallway. He had toast in one hand and car keys in his other. He wanted to make Jo breakfast, excite her about her first day at a new school, and catch up with his daughter, but in reality, he was already running late. He didn't have time, and showing up late the first day wasn't smart, so he desperately needed to catch up some minutes. He was out the door before Jo could even respond, slamming the door with one hand as he charged over to his truck and whipped out of the driveway.<p>

Jo groaned, hearing the distinctive sound of tires peeling out. Her dad must be late again… Rolling out of bed, she blindly stumbled towards her door, tripping over a couple of unpacked boxes. Yup, her whole room consisted of five medium sized boxes. She had more shop tools than room decorations. That amused her, and she smirked as she waltzed into her kitchen. There was nothing more satisfying than a sandwich and energy drink at seven in the morning. Half an hour was all it took for her to be totally ready for school. She didn't spend an hour, like most girls, picking out her outfit. Nope, she just opted for her usual black tank with a button up plaid black and white shirt, the collar always popped up in the back… annoying her slightly. For some reason, she could never get the entire damn collar to lie flat, but she decided to ignore it… for the hundredth time. She also threw on her dark faded blue jeans, which she wore a white belt to keep up. Tying her dark brown leather steel toed boots (which were used for working in the shop, but they'd been school shoes now too) and she almost had to laugh. She looked like some badass biker chick, minus the gross stuff. Speaking of bike, she pulled her black leather jacket on, grabbing her helmet as she mounted her 1982 Yamaha XJ650RJ SECA. It was a hot black and white motorcycle. Sure it wasn't a Harley, but she basically rebuilt the entire thing when she was fifteen, so now as her reward… the bike is all hers.

Starting the engine, she closed the mask to her helmet, revving the engine a little before taking off out of her driveway. There were few things that she needed, but her bike was one of them. It wasn't one of those pathetic girly mopeds… no, this was thee bike of her dreams. You can always tell a lot about a person by what he/she drives. For example, muscle cars are jocks, eco-smart cars are general public, and the sports cars are usually reserved for the preppy ones. Jo chuckles as she finds a parking space for her bike, ignoring the adoring looks (from the guys) and the interested stares (from the girls). Just as Jo had expected, some people were there to greet her before she even dismounted her bike. Still straddling the bike, some blond hugged up against Jo, stroking her arm with well manicured nails.

"Hey there, your bike is hot." The blonde stated, her eyes brimming with lust. Jo cut the engine, smirking behind her helmet. "You're new, aren't you?" The blonde sounded proud of herself, like she'd just struck oil.

"Nothing gets passed you, huh?" Jo chuckled, taking off her helmet. The blonde's jaw dropped, not expecting a girl behind the black helmet. "Something wrong?" Jo feigned innocence, expecting the blonde to get flustered or blush or something. Instead the girl fumed, releasing Jo and glaring.

"You are not a guy." She huffed, storming away, more disappointed than embarrassed.

"Great job Einstein, do you want a medal?" Jo joked under her breath, a couple people in the crowd laughing at the muttered jab. After pushing through a hoard of students, who wanted to watch more than actually interact, Jo was walking the halls of North Shore High. Reaching her locker, Jo put her bag and belongings away in a well rehearsed fashion. Different state, but the same school, and the same locker.

"Hi, you must be Johanna Mitchell." A feminine voice stated behind her. Jo mentally cringed at her full name, hating it when people called her it.

"Just Jo." She confirmed, turning around with a disinterested expression. "Something you need?" The girl had dark reddish hair, and wore a kind smile.

"No, I'm actually a part of a very small welcoming committee." She laughed, walking beside Jo down the hall.

"Look I'm sorry, but I'm not really interested in any clubs." Jo declined, not really much for school activities.

"No, I'm just here to show you around a little. My name is Abby Hanover." She extended a hand, and Jo firmly shook it.

"Cool, but I think I'll be fine. Most schools have about the same layout anyways." Jo didn't want to sound rude, but this girl wasn't exactly her type. Not just romantically, but as a friend. The girl seemed… like she was trying too hard for a part that she really didn't want to play.

"Oh, alright. Well I don't really blame you, it's not like we have many people move here anyways." Abby sounded dejected, like someone kicked her puppy. Jo continued walking down the hall towards her shop class, not taking much interest in the people around her.

"Hey, maybe you should watch where you're going?" A peppy tone cut through the air, holding power and superiority. Jo didn't want to turn around, but after she heard a crash she couldn't help it. Glancing behind her, she saw three girls picking on Abby. One of them was the blonde, but she wasn't in front. No, there was a brunette that was leading the tirade. Not to Jo's surprise, no one was doing anything, just watching the scene play out. Abby was apologizing, picking her books up off the floor.

"Damn it, why do I have to do stupid things?" Jo mumbled to herself as she marched straight up to the girls. "Something wrong?" Jo asked the brunette, staring straight into the dark brown pupils.

"Oh no, Abby just tripped." The brunette sighed, shaking her head at Abby's 'clumsiness'.

"Usually when someone trips, the decent thing to do is help them up." Jo growled, offering Abby a hand, not once disconnecting eye contact with the Queen Bee.

"Thanks Jo…" Abby whispered, her eyes cast down at their feet.

"No problem." The bell rang, and the two girls started telling the brunette that they were going to be late for class.

"Come on, let's go." The shorter dark haired girl said, her puppy dog eyes begging for the Queen's approval. Reluctantly, the brunette agreed, turning around and strutting away, head held high. The blonde follow a step behind, before turning around and winking at Jo.

"Do you have any idea who they are?" Abby hissed at Jo, grabbing the girl's sleeve.

"Bitches?" Jo guessed, an eyebrow raised at the hand clasped on her fabric.

"Yeah, but they're the Plastics. They rule the school. And Mandi is the leader of the Plastics." Jo just shrugged, not feeling intimidated at all.

"Thanks for the history lesson, but I kinda need to get to class." The tomboy brushed off, heading towards the classroom. As she entered, not to her dismay, the class was full of boys. With an unenthused sigh, she turned to her teacher, who was sulking at his desk with his hands covering his eyes. "I'm Jo Mitchell—"

"Cooking is down the hall." He interrupted, not uncovering his eyes.

"That's refreshingly sexist." Jo grumbled sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the teacher.

"Take a seat next to Tyler." The middle aged man groaned, getting up from his desk and closing the door. Tyler waved, showing his perfect teeth in a goofy grin. Had Jo been any other girl, she'd be totally smitten by the first glance. But Jo wasn't like any other girl, and she wasn't straight, so Jo just smirked at the boy. He was easy on the eyes, and hopefully he wouldn't be a total idiot/jerk.

"Hey, my name's Tyler." He said, staring at Jo.

"I kinda got that." Jo laughed at him, and he laughed too. At least this guy had a sense of humor, most would take offense at the joke.

"Yeah, well just in case you missed it the first time." He tried to smooth over his mistake. He ruffled his hair, another nervous chuckle escaping him.

"So what's his problem?" Jo nodded her head to the teacher, who was now sitting on his desk, hand holding his face.

"He's crazy into football." Tyler said, like that explained everything.

"And…?" Jo finally asked, rolling her eyes.

"His team lost last week."

"You're right, that's a huge deal. Quick, let's all go jump off buildings." She mumbled, turning towards the front.

"Alright class, this is our new student, Jo…" He thought for a moment, before waving his hand. "Jo whatever, now we're working on birdhouses. You have your partners. Jo, you'll be Tyler's partner since we lost Jacob to that radial saw mishap."

"Okay partner, now don't worry about a thing. I've got most of the structure done, so you can decorate." He handed her a box of stupid looking decorations, and Jo just glared at the clear object.

"Hey sexist jock, if you haven't noticed, I'm capable of handling myself. And you're using the gun wrong." Jo shook her head, noticing that he wasn't applying the right angle with the nail gun. All he was gonna do was put a nail half way into the wood, and it'd probably crack the flimsy thin pine they were using. "Give it to me." He gave her a skeptical brow, but shrugged and handed it over.

"Careful, it's a bit heavy." His tone was cocky, and she chuckled.

"Well, you can start the decorating." She said with a sarcastic smirk, picking up the tool with little effort. Firmly placing it in the right spot, she didn't hesitate to pull the trigger, keeping steady pressure the entire time. "Anyways, this is pretty light compared to the tools I normally use, so don't worry your pretty jock head over it."

"What makes you so sure I'm a jock?" He asks, a little defensive now.

"Am I wrong?" She waited, and when he didn't respond she continued with her work. "Besides the fact that you don't stay in shape playing Xbox live all day, it's your attitude." He quirks an eyebrow, not buying her explanation. "I've seen enough jocks to recognize the cocky, confident, sexist," she says pointedly, tone slightly sarcastic. "sports star that has probably never had a girl turn him down."

"Oh come on, I'm not that bad." He laughs, opening up the box. "Hmm… I think this one is really pretty." He says in a mock girly voice. "I bet the little birds will just love this. They'll be the only birds in the whole forest with a gem this big."

"Shut up." Jo chuckles, hitting his shoulder. "You know, you're pretty good at that voice." He glares at her, and she only laughs harder. The bell rings, signaling the end of her first period.

"See ya around, Jo." He hollers after her, watching as she slides out the door before anyone else. The rest of the day is pretty uneventful, and Jo saw Abby during lunch.

Abby had told her that the Plastics ruled the school. And Amanda, aka 'Mandi', Weatherly ruled the Plastics. She had two sidekicks, a slut named Chastity Meyer, the blonde that had hit on Jo, and Hope Plotkin, a germophobe. According to Abby also, once you cross the Plastics, they make your life a living hell. Jo had come across all this before, perhaps she didn't inject herself straight into the situation, but she had seen what girls like Mandi could do. So at the end of the day, Jo wasn't entirely shocked when she went outside and saw Abby's car covered in paint. It was a nice car too… Porsche, slick black and in pristine condition… that is, before Mandi put it on her hit list.

"Damn it…" She muttered under her breath for the second time today. "Abby, hey, you need a ride?" She asked the girl, offering her the black helmet.

"Thanks." Abby took it gratefully and hoped on the back, holding tight to Jo. The tomboy wore dark shades, and she looked away as she saw flashes from cameras. Peeling out of the lot, Jo didn't even look back, not interested in playing into the crowd's game.

"This is your house?" Jo's voice came out breathless as she stared straight up. The building was huge, and it engulfed her presence.

"Yeah… Thanks for the ride. You really didn't have to do that." Abby smiled gratefully at her savior, returning the helmet.

"I wasn't going to just stand there and watch." Jo said disinterestedly, shrugging as if it didn't mean anything.

"Everyone else did." Abby laughed, a little disappointed. "No one ever stands up to Mandi."

"What does that girl have against you anyway?" Jo wondered, leaning back in her bike a little.

"She's mad because my dad has always had more success than her dad." Abby pointed across the street to a house that was big, but not as enormous as Abby's.

"Ah, jealousy… that's original."

"I know." Abby shook her head. "It's totally stupid. Well, thank Jo, for everything. Also, you might not want to hang out with me, that's begging for Mandi to hate you."

"I'll hang out with who ever, and whenever I want." Jo scoffed defiantly, glaring at the house across the street. "You hear that Mandi!" They both started laughing, and it proved to ease the tension.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Abby waved goodbye as she retreated into her mansion, Jo just nodded in agreement. As Jo drove out of the driveway, a familiar sports car passed her by, driving relatively slow. Jo turned her head, staring at the bitchy, yet beautiful, Mandi Weatherly as the girl stared straight into the black mask.

"Mandi, that was Jo!" Chastity told her friend excitedly, waving overly energetically at the biker.

"I know that." Mandi was almost amazed by her friend's stupidity. "Who else drives a bike like that to our school?"

"Uh… I don't know." Chastity pondered, before getting distracted by one of the gardeners at Mandi's house.

"So Mandi, what are we going to do about her?" Hope asked her leader, jealousy eating away at her. She hated it when Mandi was distracted, and Jo was distracting Mandi a lot.

"Don't worry… we'll show her who she should be friends with." Mandi smiled deviously, parking her convertible.

Jo rode her bike into the garage, turning it off and setting her helmet down on the seat before closing the garage. Their neighbor was nosey, and even went as far as installing security cameras. He was positive that Jo and her father were running a chop shop with illegal parts. It made her paranoid, knowing that some old man was watching them all the time. Anyways, she looked over her latest project, an old 1969 Chevrolet Impala. It was beat up, and she bought it for about five hundred bucks, but it wasn't impossible. With her dad working so much, these little projects kept her company. She'd work on the car for a couple hours before going inside to have dinner and get to sleep. She rarely saw her dad outside of weekends when she'd either go to a race with him, or help him at the shop… sometimes he even got a day off. She wasn't complaining, because she was certainly old enough to look out for herself. Opening the hood, Jo rolled her sleeves up for a hard couple hours grind of solid work. There was nothing more exciting fixing something that people had given up on long ago.

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><p><strong>There you go, hope everyone is enjoying this thus far. Leave a REVIEW and or PM! Your support will be the only way this gets done. One person can make a difference... I'm way too tired to be writing right now.**

**-JZ**


	3. Challenge

**Yup, you know the drill. REVIEW and/or PM. yada yada yada... I'm so tired... :(**

**I don't own Mean Girls 2.**

**-JZ**

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><p>A month had passed since Jo's first day. The month was full of painful pranks, rude tricks, and even a few humiliating hoaxes. Yesterday though, Jo had reached her breaking point. The entire month she had labored over rebuilding the Impala's engine, ordering parts and tuning, and cleaning, and she was finally done with the engine. Finally completed that task, and it was purring like a dream. But yesterday, when Jo got home she went to fire up the engine and it choked out. She found sugar packets, and immediately knew the culprits. Not only that, but when her dad came home and found the mess, he freaked. Those were parts that they didn't have money to replace. If the entire engine was destroyed, then Jo would be forced to scrap the whole project. She'd never quit on a car before, and she didn't want to now.<p>

Last night had been the first time she'd seen her dad in a week, since he had to travel with the company during the weekend because of a big race and the car was acting funny. So her first time with her dad, and she was being yelled at for screwing up. And it wasn't even her fault. Jo knew that she couldn't tell her dad that some girls from school got in their garage and sabotaged the Impala. It wasn't because he wouldn't believe her, but because he'd be even more upset.

When Jo was nine, she had her next door neighbor over and was showing the girl the Mustang her and her dad were working on. The girl thought it was really cool, but she slipped on a wrench and scraped her leg. Rod was furious with Jo because he knew that injuries happening in his shops could mean lawsuits. At first, his daughter didn't understand, but after a few years she got it. They didn't have the money to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who didn't belong around cars anyways. And if Rod found out that there were girls from Jo's school in there, he'd flip his lid. Especially if Jo wasn't there to supervise them. They could get seriously hurt, and that was the first concern.

After an hour of yelling, he told his daughter to just go to sleep and they'd talk about it when the weekend rolled around. That was their lives, pushing this off. Jo was enraged that Mandi had gone that far, and she rode her bike into school with an unusual fire.

"Hey Jo, what's wrong?" Abby asked her new friend, knowing there was a problem by the lack of sarcastic jokes coming from the biker.

"Mandi…" Jo growled, her legs already taking her to the gymnasium. Jo knew there was cheerleading practice before school, and she didn't want to miss her opportunity to warn the girl that she messed with fire.

"What are you doing?" Abby questioned, picking up her pace as Jo was leaving her behind.

"Nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing." Abby grabbed Jo's wrist, willing her friend to stop. Jo whipped around, the fire in her eyes making Abby gulp.

"Aren't you tired of them? I'm not letting that prissy little brat get away with this." The mechanic hissed, pushing the doors open and taking a seat in the first row, right in front of the cheerleading squad. They were doing flips or something, all Jo knew was that Mandi was standing on two girls' shoulders and spinning/flipping backwards onto her feet. Abby waited by the door, not sure what her strong willed friend was doing.

"Well well Jo, such a nice surprise to see you here." Mandi smiled at her rival, standing in front of the girl. Jo was calm and casual, putting a lid on her rage from before.

"You stopped by my house yesterday." Jo told her, and Mandi shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know…" The cheerleader feigned innocence, pretending like she was thinking really hard.

"I wasn't asking." Jo stood up now, her height giving her a couple of inches on Mandi. "You know Princess, you might have a lot of connections, but I have street smarts." Jo whispered in Mandi's ear, her tone low. "A pretty girl like you needs to back off, cuz I'm pissed now. You need everyone to fawn all over you, and you throw a tantrum when they don't. You've got that maturity of a six year old, and I feel bad for you." Jo retains her soft voice, making sure that only Mandi can hear their conversation.

"And why is that?" Mandi couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew that Jo was tough, hot, and unbelievably annoying in her capability to hold her head high, but the girl simply unnerved Mandi.

"Because if you keep playing this rich girl act, you're going to be stuck with idiots like Nick, who treat you like crap, only expecting you to show off for his friends and make him feel all manly. It's pathetic." That struck a nerve, and Mandi found herself clutching the lower part of Jo's leather jacket in fists.

"Nick treats me fine." She hisses at Jo, glaring daggers.

"Whatever you say, Princess. Just don't expect your knight in shining armor to have your back when things get rough." Jo smirks at the look of uncertainty in Mandi's eyes. Sure it was a little low, but Jo figured that messing with a girl's heart (even if she was actually helping Mandi out) was just as bad as screwing with an engine.

"What did you say to her?" Abby asked Jo excitedly, noticing the panicked expression on Mandi's face when Jo left.

"Nothing, just made her realize that she's not as in charge as she thinks." As if to emphasize her point, Nick waltzes into the gym and pulls Mandi in for a forceful kiss, only to have the girl push him away. He looks angry at his girlfriend, rolling his eyes and trying again to make out with her. The second time Mandi slaps him, yelling something before she stormed away. He holds his cheek and fumes as his girlfriend ditches him, and his football buddies start laughing. Nick flicks them off, and pushes passed them, pissed off beyond belief.

"Wow, whatever you said really worked." Abby stated in amazement.

"You and Elliot still going to the movies tonight?" The mechanic asked, heading off to her first hour class.

"Yeah, I can't believe you talked me into going out with him." Abby accused lightly, but Jo just chuckled.

"He likes you, you like him, what's the problem?"

"I don't know, I'm still trying to figure out why you won't date Tyler." Abby countered, sticking her tongue out.

"How mature. And I told you, he isn't my type."

"Oh yeah, tall, dark, and handsome… that's nobody's type." Abby rolled her eyes, and Jo just smirked, shrugging her shoulders. They parted for their classes, and the rest of the day was pretty boring. Mandi broke up with Tyler at lunch, and Jo was starting to get a little edgy by how effected the brunette was by her little realization. It was even weirder when Mandi didn't harass anyone today, or talk very much, which was a real milestone. After the bell rang, there was a note on Jo's locker saying that she needed to check in the office for some applications for the Architect Scholarships she was looking into. Principle Duvall happened to want to talk about all the pranks and tricks going on at the school.

"No, nothing is wrong. It's just high school students being high school students. And no, I'm not letting it hurt my self esteem, I've got more self respect than that." Jo insisted, rolling her eyes when he offered to schedule appointments with the school counselor. "No, I'm fine. I've really got to go." Jo rushed out of the office, stuffing her papers in her backpack. As she was walking to her bike, she saw Mandi leaning against the hood of her car on her elbows, hands covering her face. The girl was sobbing and Jo felt guilty now, even though she knew the brunette deserved it. Growling under her breath, cursing herself for breaking another rule, Jo changed direction and tapped on the hood of the sports car.

"Something wrong?" Jo felt like an idiot, but she didn't let that escape her eyes. Her tone was emotionless, if not bored.

"Oh uh, I didn't know anyone was still here." Mandi stood up straight, sniffling and pulling her sunglasses down. She was trying to hide the fact that she'd just been crying, and Jo ground her teeth a little.

"Yeah, well my bike was still parked there." Jo tried to lighten the mood with her sarcasm, but Mandi just nodded and smiled softly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She responded, bewildered as to why Jo would come over to check on her.

"What's wrong with your car?" The mechanic pulled the hood up, and started to look around inside.

"It… it won't start." Mandi was even more surprised that Jo was helping her out. "How'd you do that?"

"There's a switch right here that you pull." Jo laughed, shaking her head. "You don't know much about cars, do you?" Mandi bit her lip, that being enough of an answer. Jo frowned, noticing that her battery was disconnected, sloppily, and the radiator fluid was drained. "Look, you're going to need a ride."

"I'll call…" Mandi didn't have anyone to call. Nick had most likely done whatever it was to her car, and her parents wouldn't be happy if they had to come pick her up.

"Forget it, I'll give you a ride." Jo strolled over to her bike and mounted it, waiting for Mandi to walk over. "You know Princess, just because you're wearing high heels, that doesn't mean I'm going to drive ten feet over there to pick you up." Mandi blushed a little, nodding as she quickly strode to the bike.

"Thank you." She whispered, the thanks being drowned out by the roar of the engine. Jo handed Mandi the helmet and smirked when she received a distasteful grimace.

"Wear it. It might just save your life." Jo laughed, as the girl finally put the helmet on and got on the bike. Mandi was a little wobbly, almost sliding off. When Jo accelerated, Mandi was so nervous that she hugged Jo tightly around the waist, not letting go for a second. "Never ride a bike before?"

"This isn't a bike." Mandi defended, finding herself smile a little. She laughed when she heard Jo chuckle, and they arrived at the Weatherly residence quicker than Mandi expected. Just as Jo was about to turn into the drive, Mandi spotted her step father pulling into the driveway. "Keep driving." She told Jo before she could think it through. It's not that she didn't like her step father, but he always argued with her mother right when they got home. He always seemed to be mad at her for something, and she knew that he probably heard about her dumping Nick. He really liked Nick, even though the quarterback was a sleaze bag. To Mandi amazement, Jo listened to her, accelerating as they passed the gated driveway.

"Fine." Jo told her, as if it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. After five minutes, the brunette finally regained her senses.

"Where are we going?" She asked her driver, hoping that it wouldn't be something pathetic like 'around the block' or 'Pizza Hut'.

"You asked me to kidnap you Princess, so you'll just have to deal with it." Jo grinned, feeling Mandi squeeze her a little more. When they pulled into Jo's driveway, Mandi loosened her grip.

"And I thought you were going to take me miles away from any witnesses." Mandi jabbed, taking the helmet off after Jo parked. They were in the garage, and Mandi saw the car that she had sabotaged the day before.

"Well Princess, since you don't have anywhere else to be, you'll just have to help me with fixing my car." Jo smirked at the look of horror on the preppy girl's face. "Just sit down; I'm not going to make you change the oil or anything." Mandi obeyed, sitting on the countertop. "Not exactly where had meant for you to sit, but I guess it works. Hand me a crescent wrench… Hmm, three quarters inch." Mandi stared at the countless shiny tools around her, not even being able to guess which one was a moon wrench whatchamajig.

"Uh here." Mandi handed Jo the closest tool to her, and Jo looked at it like a foreign object. The tomboy walked over beside Mandi, taking the girl's hand and placing the tool inside.

"That's a nut driver. This is a crescent wrench." Jo showed her another tool, and Mandi found herself slightly interested, mainly because Jo wasn't talking to her like she was stupid. "The side says ¾ inch. But you need to be careful because sometimes, they do tools in measurements of mm."

"Okay, so three quarter inch crescent wrench." Mandi repeated, handing Jo the tool. Jo smiled, nodding her approval. Mandi watched in wonder as Jo worked on the engine, telling her idle things about tools or engines. It was just incredible at how familiar Jo was with machines, and how this girl was supposed to hate her.

"It's pretty late, I should probably drive you home." Jo wiped her hands off, offering Mandi the helmet. Before the girl put it on, she pulled Jo closer to her.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Mandi needed to know. None of her friends had ever just been nice, without any ulterior motives or backstabbing intentions.

"I'm not being nice." Jo mumbled, shaking off the brunette. "I held you hostage for an entire evening; I think that was punishment enough. Hell, I even made you help me repair my Impala."

"I had fun Jo, and we both know that you weren't holding me hostage." Mandi hopped off the counter, following the mechanic to the bike.

"Really, because I don't think you could have gone anywhere." Jo challenged, caught off guard when Mandi stood in front of her.

"I could have left at any time."

"Yeah I guess you could have. So why didn't you?"

"Because you make me feel good about myself. Sure you are sarcastic, but you treat me like an actual person. I don't have to act perfect around you, and I don't need to worry about you hurting me." Mandi stated, closing the gap between the two.

"What makes you think I'm so safe? I could hurt you at any time." Jo didn't back down, but the closeness was starting to make her uncomfortable.

"You had your chance for a month, and the worst thing that you did was make me realize that Nick is a prick." Mandi told her, smiling when Jo rolled her eyes and looked away. "And you never once asked me why I didn't want to go home."

"It's not my business." Jo just shrugged, mounting her bike. Mandi got on the back, hugging Jo tightly.

"Thank you." Mandi told her, making sure she heard her. Jo nodded, driving the five minutes to Mandi's house. After Jo stopped the bike, she watched Mandi get off and take the helmet off. "Thanks again for everything."

"It's not a problem." Jo nodded, putting the helmet on. Just as Mandi turned to go to her house, Jo cursed herself for doing this. "Wait!"

"Yeah Jo?" Mandi cocked an eyebrow, a satisfied smile on her face.

"You'll need a ride tomorrow. I'll pick you up at seven thirty." Mandi's eyes widened a little, not expecting that kind gesture.

"Okay, thanks." She just received a grunt and nod as Jo peeled off into the dark black road.

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><p><strong>Haha, so are things heating up between the popular girl and badass biker chick? haha, I guess you need to REVIEW andor PM to find out! As I've said a billion times before, this isn't my normal fanfiction, so please lend me your support and inspiration so I can continue with this.**

**-JZ**


	4. Teams

**I'm glad some people read this... it would have been a shame if this wasn't going to be continued because I do enjoy writing it. I like to think of this story as a... well it's just totally different from my other stories. I'm actually working on several new stories (I know that I'm not done with my old ones yet) but I've run into a snag... For some odd reason, I'm obsessively rereading finished chapters. Such as this one... I've had it done for a week, but I just couldn't let myself update the story yet... Great, now I'm startin to sound crazy. Haha, oh well...**

**I would love some more REVIEWS... please? Also... I was slightly disappointed that I got no PM's... those always brighten my day. **

**I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and please REVIEW and/or PM!**

**I don't own Mean Girls**

**-JZ**

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><p>Jo woke up a little earlier today, reminding herself that she had to pick Mandi up. It wasn't like she got a ton of sleep anyways, her mind filling with berating comments about how idiotic it was to offer Mandi a ride. The girl did hate her, and yesterday still made Jo's head swim. Mandi had been right when she said that she could have left at anytime, and Jo couldn't fathom why the girl said that she felt safe around her. It was way too early in the morning to start going over complex things, so Jo just shoved it off to the side and ate her cereal, greedily gulping the rest of her extra strength energy drink. Luckily, yesterday Jo did discover that the damage Mandi did to the Impala's engine wasn't irreversible. It would take a ton of cleaning and tuning up, but nothing major was destroyed. Throwing her bag over her shoulder, Jo waltzed out to her bike and started the ride to the Weatherly house. Pulling in, she waited for Mandi to arrive. Jo knew she was a couple minutes early, so she didn't expect the girl to be ready. Hell, she had half expected that Mandi had changed her mind completely and would ride off in a different car or with her friends.<p>

"Morning, Jo." Mandi greeted, carefully sticking her hand out for the helmet she knew Jo would force her to wear. And she was right.

"You're cheerful." Jo grumbled, and Mandi fought the smile that threatened to spill all over her face. As soon as she put the plain black helmet on, she let the grin explode.

"Not a morning person, are we?" Mandi said in mock surprise, holding a hand to her chest to emphasize that fact.

"Of course I am, can't you see the enthusiasm bursting from my face?" Jo's tone dripped with sarcasm, and she shifted herself for Mandi to get on. Just as foreseen, the queen latched on to Jo, her arms snaking around Jo's midsection.

"Shut up and drive." Came out the giggled response, and Jo smirked.

"Anything for you, Princess." Some impossible way, Jo knew that Mandi Weatherly was blushing, and Mandi knew that Jo knew it.

"I'll keep that in mind." Mandi played along, giving Jo a little squeeze to stress her meaning. It was funny, because Mandi immediately felt Jo go rigid.

"So do you want me to park a block from the school so no one sees you riding with me?" Jo questioned, tired sarcasm grating her tough tone. The tomboy was waiting for some sort of catch, or indication that Mandi would go back to hating her. According to everyone, that's all Mandi felt towards Jo, so it's understandable that the biker would be a little suspicious by this behavior.

"There is no way I'm walking that far in these heels when you can easily park twenty feet from the school." Mandi commanded, not at all surprised by Jo's doubts. Mandi was a little shocked herself. She heard Jo laugh, and they parked next to a moped. Jo killed the engine, sitting still while Mandi took the helmet off. "Since you did drive me to school, would you mind taking me home too?" There was a touch of uncertainty staining the normally confident tone, and it confused Jo.

"Am I actually dropping you off, or…?" Jo didn't finish, knowing that the Weatherly girl understood what she meant.

"If you don't want to, I can—"

"No, it's fine." Jo cut her off, not wanting Mandi to get the wrong idea. "It'll be an honor to have the amazing Amanda Weatherly grace me with her presence two days in a row." Jo joked, hoping to defuse the tension. It worked because Mandi broke down into an innocent smile and stifled giggles. "You better get out of here, the school is about to break into mayhem. They're worried that we may actually be getting along." Jo pointed to a crowd of people staring shamelessly at the duo.

"Fuck 'em." Mandi smirked, and Jo returned the gesture.

"I thought that was Chastity's job?" Jo faked confusion, earning a playful swat on her arm.

"Alright, I do have to go though. I'll see you afterschool." Mandi waved goodbye, and Jo just gave her a curt nod before getting off the bike and making her own way to the entrance. The tomboy was lost in thought, not caring about the blatant stares and loud whispers that were swirling around her.

"What was that?" Abby's voice made Jo jump, losing all concentration.

"What was what?" Jo looked around, befuddled at what her best friend was talking about. Abby was still walking next to Jo, and they stopped at the mechanic's locker.

"I heard that you gave Mandi a ride to school. Your arch enemy, Mandi. Remember her? The girl who ruined your car?" Abby didn't sound mad as much as she seemed lost.

"Look, it's no big deal. Her car was trashed yesterday, so I offered her a ride." Jo tried to calm her friend, while simultaneously grabbing some books.

"Okay, then why did you give her a ride this morning?" Abby interrogated, shooting glares at her friend.

"Her car is trashed. It wasn't a simple flat tire. That I could have fixed last night…" Jo sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "I'm pretty sure that Nick was the one that screwed with it. And it is my fault that Mandi dumped him, so I just don't want things to get out of hand."

"So… you feel guilty?" Abby said slowly, waiting for approval. "Did she blame you or something?" Abby just couldn't comprehend why Jo would be nice to Mandi Weatherly.

"No, she didn't." Jo growled, clearly annoyed.

"Then—" Jo slammed her locker, captivating a few eyes from people around them, but she didn't pay any attention to them. Abby jumped a little, the loud noise stopping her midsentence.

"She just wasn't that bad." Jo grumbled, turning on her heel and marching to shop class. Mandi was right… she really wasn't a morning person.

"Good morning, Sunshine." Tyler laughed, knowing that his partner hated mornings.

"Don't you have a birdhouse to be bedazzling?" She snarled, taking her seat heatedly.

"Wow, sorry I said anything." He threw his hands up in defeat, a smile still planted on his face.

"Sorry, just tired of people." She offered him an apologetic sigh, and he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Mandi's getting shit too." He shook his head, a little bewildered. "I'm glad you two are working some things out."

"You really had to make this sound like something right out of Dr. Phil, didn't you?" Tyler laughed, amazed at his friend.

"You're snide remarks never cease to impress me." He glanced around the room, noticing that their teacher was sleeping with a paper over his head, his favorite team had been in overtime and it was rumored that he had a victory celebration that lasted until morning. Tyler scooted in a little closer to his partner, and to everyone else it looked like they were just working on the project. "Seriously Jo, you're the first real person I've seen her hang out with."

"Damn…" Jo hissed, putting down the nail gun. "I knew that Hope chick was a robot… No one is that germophobic without proper programming."

"Well isn't that sweet. Any other adorable little remarks you'd like to add before I continue?" He glared at her sternly, actually trying to talk about something serious.

"Why do guys always want to "talk?" Seriously, it gets annoying." Jo grumbled, earning another glare from her partner. "Fine, I'm done."

"Great, well I WAS saying how great it was to hear that Mandi hung out with someone that harbors actual feelings." He stated pointedly, before continuing with what he had initially wanted to say. "Just… thank you… for giving her a ride and everything." He sounded extremely grateful, too grateful for Jo's liking.

"Dude, I know you are her step brother, but I didn't do it so you could be 'indebted' to me. I just did it because it was right, and your sister isn't as bad as you say she is." Jo was done with this Weatherly talk. What she did, who she hung out with, and when was all her business. And too many people were entering her bubble of personal space. "Now shut the hell up before you start wanting to talk about our 'feelings' and end up crying on a couch in front of an audience, and everyone is telling you that it'll 'be alright,' cuz I'm so leaving before that happens."

"You really hate Dr. Phil." He exclaimed, and she just nodded. The bell rang a little while after that, and luckily to Jo, the entire birdhouse was done… also Tyler did help decorate it with plenty of pretty gems. Jo had to admit, Tyler made quite the Girl Scout. As always, the day went by normally. Actually it went by better than normal, because it had seemed that Mandi was abandoning her attempts to ruin Jo's life, and she even left Abby alone as well. They didn't even see each other at lunch since the cheerleading squad had a meeting, and Jo found herself becoming slightly more agitated because of that. As the last bell rang, Abby walked with Jo back to her locker.

"So you aren't mad that me and Elliot are going out again tonight, are you?" Abby felt really guilty, considering that she felt like she was ditching her friend two nights in a row.

"Naw, it's fine. I'm kinda busy anyway." Jo told her, grabbing her bag and closing her locker.

"Busy?" Abby quirked an eyebrow, an obvious question meant by the gesture.

"Yes, busy. I've got a hot date." She answered, already walking away from her curious friend. "Wouldn't want to keep the Impala waiting." Jo smirked, and Abby stuck her tongue out at her friend's rude teasing.

"Hey, don't forget about the movie tomorrow!" Abby shouted down the hall, earning a nonchalant wave as Jo just continued walking away. When she reached the exit Jo saw Mandi standing by the bike, Nick was there too. He was mad, and the vein in his neck was popping out and his face was red. Mandi had her arms crossed, refusing to look at him. He grabbed her arm, and Jo bolted straight towards them.

"Nick, let me… go!" Mandi whisper shouted at him, trying not to cause a scene.

"No! Now get in my car so we can leave." He squeezed her arm harder, and Mandi whimpered softly at the pressure.

"It's over, Nick." She tried to pull away, but it just resulted in him tightening his grip even further until her arm felt like it was losing circulation.

"No, it's not—" He was about to pull Mandi with him, but suddenly he felt a stinging pain in his arm. "Shit!"

"Didn't she tell you to beat it?" Jo accused, standing between him and Mandi.

"Back off, Mitchell." He warned, rubbing his arm where the girl had nailed it with her own forearm. It stung and he couldn't stop the tears that glistened in his eyes. "This isn't your problem."

"You being a jackass is my problem." Jo growled protectively, staring him down. His eyes flared with rage, and he threw a punch before anyone could really tell what was going on. Jo ducked, and her instant reaction was to fight back. One strong, well placed punch hit him square in the nose, and a satisfying crack was audible. The crowd gasped, and Nick fell to the ground, clutching his face.

"B-bitch!" He shrieked, pain causing his tears to flow freely.

"Sticks and stones… sticks and stones…" Jo smirked smugly, leaning down to his ear. "Stay the hell away from her. She deserves better than you." She whispered to him, surprising herself with the words. He growled but nodded in acknowledgement. Jo stood up and got on her bike, not having to wait long since Mandi had put the helmet on already. They were riding off seconds later, and Jo could feel the uncertainty in Mandi's grip. Jo drove to the Weatherly's and slowed down at the drive way, expecting Mandi to just want to go home.

"Your house." Mandi said softly, taking one of her hands and gently laying it on Jo's busted knuckles. They rode like that until they reached the Mitchell's driveway, and then Mandi stopped her tender circles on the driver's hand. "Come on, you need to get ice on that."

"It's fine." Jo smiled nervously, but Mandi was already off the bike. "Really, see? I can still move it." Jo hid her grimace, but Mandi wasn't convinced.

"Fine then, just humor me and let me play nurse." She decided, pulling Jo off the bike and into the house. The living room was still full of boxes, but Mandi didn't even seem to notice. "Here, take a seat. Do you have any ice packs?" Jo shook her head, and was about to stand up to help her look, when Mandi shot her a dirty glare. "Don't move. I'm not completely hopeless."

"Sheesh… pushy, pushy…" Jo murmured, but Mandi managed to hear it, a sly smile creeping on her face.

"Here." Mandi had a bag of frozen carrots in her left hand, and gently took the biker's injured hand in her right. Laying it on the table, Mandi applied light pressure, yet it still was freezing the hell out of Jo's fingers. Jo tried to pull away once, and Mandi immediately held her hand in place. "Don't be such a baby."

"I just broke your ex's nose, and you're calling me a baby?" Jo reminded her, and Mandi just smiled.

"What did you say to him by the way?" She was curious, mainly because Nick had fear in his eyes, if only for a moment.

"The truth." Jo sighed, and Mandi just rolled her eyes. "So much for feeling safe, huh?"

"You made Nick cry, and that made me feel incredibly safe." Mandi spoke softly, a blush tinting her cheeks. While one hand was holding the frozen carrots on Jo's knuckles, the other was gently resting on the tomboy's wrist. Jo became increasingly aware of the warm soft grasp, and decided that the minutes of silence were enough.

"I guess I should get to work on the engine." Jo stood up, noticing how Mandi lightly shook her head. "What?"

"Oh nothing, let's go." She followed Jo to the garage, and quickly hopped up on the counter like the day before. She liked sitting up there, mainly because she could see whatever Jo was working on without having to move all around.

"You ever get your car fixed?" Jo asked from her position under the hood of the Impala.

"It's at some mechanic's garage. I won't have it back until Monday." Mandi sighed, missing her sports car already. Jo paused in her actions for a moment, then continued with whatever the hell she was doing. Mandi just found it entertaining to watch the girl work and chat with her.

"It really shouldn't take that long." Jo muttered, taking a step away from the vehicle as she set a tool down on the counter near Mandi.

"Well, not all mechanics are as handy as you." The cheerleader said with a sly smile, watching as Jo turned away.

"A decent one is." She murmured, returning to the car. They returned to a comfortable silence, and for an hour they just said small random things to each other. After a few minutes of uncharacteristic silence, Jo glanced up from the Impala and frowned. Mandi wasn't sitting in her spot. And that's when Jo was brought to an even further confusion when she realized that the section of counter that Mandi liked to sit on was now referred to the girl's 'spot,' when in reality she'd only been there twice.

"Miss me?" Mandi giggled, finding Jo standing in the garage with a lost look on her face. The tomboy turned on her heel, sighting Mandi, who was holding a can. "This was the only thing in your fridge." Mandi handed Jo the energy drink, wiping her wet hand on Jo's shirt.

"Hey!" Jo chuckled, jumping out of the girl's reach. "Watch where you're putting those things."

"What's wrong Jo, worried where they're headed?" Mandi teased, aware at how flirtatious she sounded, but she just didn't care.

"N-no… they're just… cold." Jo mumbled, cracking her can open and taking a long gulp of the savory liquid. Another couple hours passed, and it was already pitch black outside. Jo sighed, wiping her hands on a towel before making her way towards a sleeping Mandi. The girl looked so peaceful and harmless, almost making Jo just leave her alone. The last entire hour, Jo had procrastinated on waking the slumbering girl, but now it was ten thirty and she knew that any later and the girl might have to spend the night. "Mandi… I've got to take you home now." She whispered, lightly shaking the girl. "Come on Princess, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"But tomorrow's Friday…" Mandi whimpered, as if that meant she didn't have to go to school.

"Great job Princess, I'm glad you know your days of the week." Jo chuckled sarcastically, placing the towel on the counter.

"Smartass…" Mandi grumbled, yawning and opening her eyes. Jo offered her a hand, to which Mandi accepted gratefully as she staggered off the countertop. "Do we have to ride your bike? I'm too tired to hold on." Mandi half pouted, wondering what Jo would do.

"I don't know, let's see if the Impala will run." Jo just shrugged, closing the hood and getting in the car. She turned the key and it turned over a couple times before roaring to life. It was smooth, and sounded brand new. "Looks like you'll be with me on the maiden voyage." For some reason, Mandi felt extremely honored by that.

"I'm sorry Jo, about everything." Mandi said guiltily, getting in the passenger's side.

"Don't worry about it." Jo dismissed it, backing the car out of the garage.

"I wish I didn't… you know… try to ruin your life." Mandi knew it sounded lame, but she really needed Jo to hear it.

"Yeah well, as long as you don't do it again, that'd be great." The mechanic joked, driving towards the Weatherly mansion.

"I'm really trying to be serious here." Mandi pleaded, getting slightly annoyed at Jo's carefree tone.

"I know, you better be careful before I start to think that you're apologizing." She continued to joke around, attempting to keep the atmosphere light.

"Right, well don't think that I don't realize that you just have an over active self defense mechanism going on." The cheerleader pointed out, laughing when Jo choked on her energy drink. "How can you drink those things anyways?"

"Well I pop the tab, and turn the can… and gravity pretty much takes over after that. It's not a difficult task, but it can be tricky if you aren't used to it." The sarcasm rolled off her tongue in waves, pretty much strengthening Mandi's 'defense mechanism' jab. "We're here, Princess."

"Thanks again, Jo. I don't know how you'll get to sleep with all that caffeine." She shook her head in amazement as Jo polished off the drink.

"Don't worry about it, I have my ways."

"So… what are you up to tomorrow?" Mandi asked, hoping they could do something similar as today. Jo grimaced, like dreaded what was coming next.

"I promised Abby that I'd go to a movie with her and Elliot tomorrow."

"Oh well, that makes sense. I'll just see you—"

"Why don't you come? I mean, it'll be pretty awkward sitting in the theater while those two are undoubtedly making out. You could save me from some uncomfortable moments." Jo offered, not knowing where this was coming from. She didn't plan to ask Mandi to go to the movies with them, but she certainly wasn't complaining. "That is, as long as you aren't doing something more important… like your nails or something." Jo winked, signaling that she was just being sarcastic.

"No, I'm sure I can do that Saturday, though it'll be a sacrifice." Mandi smiled, getting out of the car.

"Great, I'll pick you up tomorrow morning then." Jo didn't even realize that she'd said that before Mandi just nodded in agreement, a huge grin on her face. The cheerleader walked away, however, not before winking goodbye to Jo. The driver couldn't stop herself from watching the princess saunter up the driveway towards the Weatherly Mansion, hips swaying sensually from side to side.

"I really need to control myself." Jo groaned, catching herself mid-ogle.

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><p><strong>I'd really like to hear what you all thought of this chapter... or all the chapters? Haha, I won't lie... this lack of feedback is starting to shake my confidence. Sure people are reading, but are they really "reading" the story? I just don't know... So please comment by leaving a REVIEW or a PM... or BOTH? I love to learn what the people who read my stories think of them... It gives me a maniac ego... but... I always write quicker and better with that ego. <strong>

**Feed the writer... With REVIEWS and/or PM's.**

**I'm STARVING! Haha**

**-JZ**


	5. Gears and Other Moving Parts

**Alright, this is a crazy long chapter... for me at least. I sure hope you all like it! Please Read, Review, and/or PM! Haha, I love the PM's and I hope to get some more rockin' reviews too! You're all great and the more support, the fast the updates. **

**I don't own Mean Girls.**

**-JZ**

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><p>"What? Don't like to ride your bike in a little rain?" Mandi teased as she rushed to get in the car before too much rain blew in. It was a dark, nasty, wet day, and the thunder and lightning became more pronounced with each passing minute.<p>

"I just didn't want your pretty hair to get messed up, Princess." Jo smirked back, looking over her shoulder as she backed out of the driveway.

"_And for our weather today we have Tom Storm reporting. So Tom, can you tell us what's going on?"_

"_Yeah Dave, radar has identified some rather intense moisture and it is looking like a 60% chance of thunderstorms all day. Now be careful, these storms can produce—"_

"What a dumbass." Jo chuckled, taking a swig from her second energy drink of the morning. Mandi didn't take her eyes off the tomboy, opting to stare at her rather than out the window. "Some people are such idiots. I could look outside and tell the moron that there is a "chance" of rain. What? Did he decide to shuttle to work in a black box or something? Any stupid assho—"

"JO!" Mandi shouted, giggling at the rant. "I'm sure Tom Storm didn't mean to offend you." She assured, trying to calm the driver down.

"Just because he has the last name "Storm" obviously does not mean that he is fit to be a weatherman." Jo grumbled, sighing as they waited on a light to turn green.

"This is a TGIF moment." Mandi sighed, a smile still planted on her lips. Jo scrunched her eyebrows, but just remained silent. "I know you hate mornings, but I promise that we'll have fun at the movies tonight and you can even sleep in tomorrow since you don't have to pick me up. I won't be in your way for the entire day, I promise." Mandi half joked, swatting Jo's arm with a well manicured hand. Jo turned to her, face portraying complete befuddlement.

"You aren't in my way." Jo was looking at Mandi straight in the eyes, just staring into the brown pools. "And you never know, I might actually like driving you to school." Jo said earnestly, still captivated by the beauty in front of her.

HONK!

"Damn it!" Jo growled, returning her attention to the rainy road, a blush creeping its way up her face. A sly grin burst across Mandi's face, and she couldn't resist the urge.

"That was so sweet Jo." Mandi cooed, noticing the other girl's blush increase.

"N-no it wasn't. I-I was… I was just… speaking hypothetically." Jo stuttered, eyes burning into the waterfall of rain in front of her.

"Nah ah, I think that you just said something that was actually sincere." Mandi continued, knowing that these moments were few and far between. "And now you're blushing, which is absolutely adorable."

"I am not." Jo protested weakly, refusing to even glance at the brunette. She slumped in her seat a little, trying to hide her reddening face.

"It's not a bad thing. And the stuttering is kinda cute." Mandi giggled, not realizing that they were in the parking lot. Jo turned the car off, ripped the key out of the ignition, and jumped out like the Impala was on fire. Mandi watched the tomboy rush off into the school, wearing a hood to keep dry from the rain… or to hide the ever present blush.

"Jo, do you think we can catch the early movie? I know we said the nine o'clock, but I don't think that five would be too bad? Since it's so awful outside, I don't think you or Elliot should be driving at night." Abby said as soon as she met Jo at the tomboy's locker.

"Yeah sure, s-sounds great." Jo cursed herself for still being so flustered. Mandi had caught her off guard, which it seems that the preppy brunette could do quite easily, and Jo still hadn't entirely recovered yet.

"Did Jo Mitchell just stutter?" Abby sounded shocked, eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm just cold. The rain isn't exactly like visiting Honolulu." Luckily for Jo, her sarcasm was making a better comeback than her composure.

"Whatever you say, Jo." Abby winked, showing that she didn't believe one word that came out of the mechanic's mouth. "Shouldn't you go tell Mandi?" Abby questioned, waiting for Jo to do so. Jo had texted her that Mandi was going to be going with them, and to Jo's surprise, her best friend was excited about it. "Maybe we could be friends?" Abby voiced her earlier wish, having been enjoying the last three prank free days.

"I'll tell her a little later… Uh, I don't want to be late." Jo responded lamely, leaving for Shop Class. She was early, and sat down at the empty table. She wanted to have a few minutes to herself, still not understanding her own reaction in the car. Why did she say that to Mandi? Sure it was the truth, but it was stupid and corny. And more importantly, why did she freak out when Mandi pointed it out? Shouldn't she have been able to come up with some sort of sarcastic comeback? While all this confusing crap was blowing through Jo's head at a million miles a minute, Tyler waltzed in the classroom, shaking his head which sent hundreds of tiny droplets flying everywhere.

"How's it going, Jo?" He wondered, sitting next to his partner.

"Fine. You?" Jo asked more out of politeness than interest.

"Great, I get the house to myself tonight." He said proudly, winking at Jo. "All thanks to you."

"I'm sure your sister had better things to do than hang around you anyways." She muttered, earning her a hurt look from the boy.

"Ouch, I might need some ice." He grumbled, not really hurt by the jab. "So what's buggin' you?"

"What would make you think that? Aren't I always this intolerable in the mornings?" Jo asked him honestly, a smug smile ripping open her face.

"Alright, alright, fine…" He relented, seeing a defensive gleam in Jo's eyes. He didn't want to put the girl even more on edge than she obviously already was.

"I hope all the discussions are done." The shop teacher huffed pointedly, glaring at Tyler and Jo. "So now that we've complete the birdhouses, it's time to start on the actual semester project." He grunted, pointing to a couple of end tables and dressers. "I want everyone to have a project idea and rough sketch by Monday. I know MOST of you slackers took this class because you've heard that it involves no homework. I would just like to tell you that you have just been screwed. Anyone missing their assignment will have to run laps." Everyone gave him weird looks, and one boy in the back had the gull to raise his hand.

"Uh sir… this isn't gym class. What will running laps do?" The red haired Mohawk kid asked, the piercing on his tongue clanging occasionally against his front teeth.

"It'll build character." The teacher responded. "Go out and run a lap."

"Er… teacher, sir, dude… uh, it's raining." The boy replied, obviously not thinking the football fanatic was serious.

"Fine, you want to be a pansy about it, twenty pushups!" He shouted, becoming increasingly infuriated with the boy.

"But I—"

"THIRTY!" Came the unwavering response. Astoundingly enough, the punk rocker looking dude obeyed quickly, almost falling out of his seat as he began his pushups. This only happened once in a while in Shop Class. The teacher would momentarily fall off the wagon and start yelling at everyone to do certain things: pushups, laps, crunches… you get the picture. So right now, no one was really shocked by the turn of events, more of just wondering when it was their turn to be hollered at.

"Gibson, is that a note!" The teacher yelled, getting caught up in the moment. "Thirty pushups for you!" With a sigh, Gibson put the paper, which he was using to write down the assignment, down and didn't even argue, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. He joined Erik on the floor, just beginning his thirty pushups. "Anyone else want to join them on the floor?" He threatened, squinting at the twelve other students in their seats. The rest of the class went on like that, various students having to do pushups for various reasons. By the time that the final bell rang, most of the students were struggling to complete their last sets, having been told that they would get detention if they didn't finish them before heading to their next class.

"How are you not sore?" Tyler whined as they walked out of the classroom, both of them had to finish the last of their sets. Tyler had to do four, and Jo was lucky enough to do six.

"Cuz I'm not a wuss and I can suck it up. Now be a man and stop sounding like such a daisy." Jo huffed, heading to her next class. "And thanks to you, we might be late to class."

"It's not my fault I had to do pushups for sneezing." He defended, knowing that Jo really didn't care about being late.

"And it wasn't my fault that I had to do pushups for not saying "bless you," so I win. And why the hell did it take you so long? I was done before the bell even rang, AND I started after you!" She reminded him, just about to split up to head to her next class.

"They were a little hard to do with a foot on my back!" He informed her, still trying to wipe the boot print off the back of his polo shirt.

"Excuses, excuses…" Jo trailed off, hearing the bell ring. "Damn…" She shrugged, walking into the classroom thirty seconds later, calm and collected.

"Ms. Mitchell, care to tell the class why you are tardy?" Mrs. What's-Her-Face demanded briskly, tapping her foot impatiently. She did not tolerate tardiness, but would humor the excuses occasionally.

"Shop Class." Jo said simply, shaking her head as she took her seat.

"Excuse me?"

"The shop teacher's football team must have lost last night." The confidence that accompanied her tone was almost unnerving.

"Mr. Delone had his class doing jumping jacks again?" Now Mrs. Riche grinded her teeth, hating that man for all his worth. He was an irresponsible teacher, didn't care about his students' behavior, and constantly let his personal feelings affect his work.

"No, pushups." And with that final note, a red faced Mrs. Riche huffed and returned to her wipe board, dismissing Jo's tardiness completely. It was a well known fact that Mr. Delone had a crush on Mrs. Riche, but it was also as well known that Mrs. Riche hated Mr. Delone, thus their interactions were always the most interesting to watch, and blog about. The day went by slowly, time ticking by as sluggishly as the storm did. Eventually the weather became so bad that all practices were called off, indoor and outdoor.

"All students are encouraged to drive straight home. Please be careful on the roads. Thank you." The secretary announced through the intercom, a tinge of tiredness drenching her voice.

"Alright class, since this is Friday, I decided that I'm not going to give any homework." Jo's eyes shot up, studying the teacher before her. It was rare that Ms. Jonas didn't give homework, and even more rare that she hadn't yelled at one student.

"Someone got laid." Jo heard a boy behind her giggling. She shook her head, a smirk in place. The teacher did have some sort of glow hanging around her today, and that smile reeked of post-sex bliss. The final bell blared, and students were out of their seats quicker than Ms. Jonas could dismiss them. Jo walked to her locker, grabbing her backpack.

"So did you tell Mandi yet?" Abby said from behind the mechanic.

"Uh…" Jo hesitated, pretending to be searching deep into her locker for something.

"Seriously? Jo, you need to catch up with her before she leaves. There's no cheerleading practice, so you better hurry."

"Shit." Jo had totally forgot about that small factor. No practice for Mandi meant that Jo had no idea where the princess would be. "Alright, I'm on it. Just don't burn me at the stake for being a little bit busy today."

"Too busy to stop by and say 'hey Mandi, the movie is at five.' Because that really doesn't sound too time consuming to me." Abby pointed out, pulling Jo out of her locker by the back of her jacket.

"Wow, I thought you were only that handsy with me." Elliot joked, earning himself a good glare from his girlfriend before her face broke into a smile.

"Good thing you're here now Elliot. Your girlfriend was just about to get all physical with me." Jo played along, rolling into a nice banter with the boy.

"It would have been fine with me… as long as I was invited." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows in a dorky way.

"You two are impossible." Abby laughed, rolling her eyes before leaning in and kissing Elliot's cheek. "Alright, now go and find Mandi!" Abby ushered Jo away, closing the tomboy's locker before the girl could protest.

"Sheesh…" Jo muttered as she walked down the hallway, eyes darting around for a familiar brunette. Instead, Jo caught sight of a less familiar blonde. "Yo Chastity, do you know where Mandi is?"

"Hey Jo, I haven't really seen you around too much." The blonde smiled suggestively, placing a hand on Jo's arm.

"Such a shame." Jo murmured back, blatantly removing the hand from her arm. Chastity frowned, missing the contact. Instead of taking the hint, she just moved a step closer. "Look, I'm just wondering if you've seen Mandi around? Or know where she is?" Jo asked, taking a step backwards, uncomfortable with the close proximity. Scratching the back of her neck, Jo glanced around the very public hallway.

"Maybe… I can't quite remember…" Chastity tapped her index finger on her chin, pretending to be thinking. "Maybe something could help me think."

"I can't work miracles." Jo quipped before she even thought, and in return, she received a scowl.

"Kiss me." Chastity said stalking towards Jo.

"No." Jo answered, backing up with every advancing step. There was a smashing sound when Jo backed into the lockers, and she desperately looked around for an escape. No one was around; not an entire surprise since it was Friday, students usual swarmed out of school like buffalo.

"Come on, I know you want to." Chastity was almost on top of Jo, hugged up against her front as she let her right hand walk up Jo's arm.

"I'll pass."

"Just one kiss." Chastity tried to kiss the tomboy, but Jo used one hand to block the girl's face. Turning her head to dodge the assault, Jo saw Mandi standing at the end of the hallway. The brunette's expression was hurt, and as soon as Mandi saw that Jo had noticed her, she marched in the opposite direction.

"Mandi, wait!" Jo hollered, pushing Chastity to the side lightly. She started jogging down the hallway, following the direction the girl left in. The blonde was left in the hallway, dumbstruck as to why anyone would deny her a kiss. "Mandi, hold on." Jo huffed, catching Mandi's arm just as the queen was pushing on the door to go outside. Mandi spun around, facing Jo with a mixture of pain and anger. "Listen, I didn't—"

"What? Didn't want me to see that? Didn't want me to know?" Mandi spat out, wrenching her arm out of Jo's grasp, shoving the door open and stepping out into the rain.

"That's not it!" Jo shouted above the rain, following Mandi without hesitation. "Where are you going anyway?"

"I can walk." Mandi crossed her arms and continued to march in the direction of her home, rain chilling her to the bone.

"No you're not, that's over five miles from here. Just let me give you a ride and I'll explain." Jo said firmly, not leaving any room for protests. "Get in my car."

"No." Mandi stated simply, still not looking at Jo.

"Mandi, please just let me drive you." Jo was starting to get irritated with the girl.

"I said, no."

"Damn it, why are you acting like this?" Jo hissed, frustrated more with herself than Mandi.

"Because you go and make out with my best friend behind my back!" Mandi retorted, spinning around and pointing at Jo. "Is that why you've been nice to me? You want me to like you so you can date Chastity with my approval?" She accused, poking Jo in the shoulder a few times. Jo grabbed her hand, holding it firmly.

"I don't need your approval for anything." Jo growled, glaring darkly. "And second, Chastity jumped me. And don't say that you 'don't believe it' because NEWS FLASH, she jumps anyone with a heartbeat, hell she might even want to rattle the bones of a dead person for all I know!" Jo was pissed off, but no matter what, she couldn't be mad at Mandi. Sure Jo was angry with the situation, with Chastity, with herself for not understanding why Mandi was so upset, but not once was she actually mad at Mandi. "I was looking for you, so I asked her if she saw you. She said that she might remember if I kissed her. I said no, and then she did what you just saw when you walked in." Mandi remained silent, relieved for some unknown reason.

"Come on, I need you to give me a ride home." Mandi said, a small smile creeping on her face when she realized that Jo was still holding her hand.

"Sorry…" Jo dropped it when she followed Mandi's gaze to their intertwined fingers, getting out her car keys and walking to the Impala.

"So why were you looking for me?" Mandi asked shyly, finding it incredibly awkward in the car. Even with the radio on, the silence seemed to deafen the atmosphere.

"Oh right, we're going to the five o'clock movie since the weather is so bad. Something about Abby not wanting Elliot and me to be driving in the rain or something." She murmured, concentrating on the near flooded streets.

"That sounds like a good idea. I really wouldn't want you driving in the night and rain." Mandi agreed, nodding in confirmation.

"It's pretty much pitch black anyways, so I don't see the difference." Jo countered, slowing down for a stop sign. The car in front of her totally blew it, skidding until he was pretty much stopped in the middle of the intersection. "Idiot."

"Well I guess it's a good thing that I have an expert driver." Mandi's smile was strained. She was slightly unsettled by the weather. It had already rained eight inches and the reports said that it wasn't supposed to stop until tomorrow morning.

"Yeah, I guess you are pretty damn lucky, Princess." For some reason, all the tension and awkwardness left when Mandi heard her nickname. That meant that Jo had forgiven her, and that they were back on track. "There is no way we're stopping by your house yet."

"What? Why?" Mandi objected, needing to get a change of clothes.

"Usually flashing lights mean there is an accident up ahead. It'll take forever to get around." Jo informed her, turning on her turn signal to avoid the congestion. "Don't mind hanging at my place for a little bit, do you? Then we can just leave straight from your house."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Glad you didn't walk in this." Jo gave her a sideways glance, only sparing the road one second of her attention.

"Are you asking, or telling?" Mandi asked with a raised eyebrow. She couldn't exactly read the tone of Jo's voice.

"A little of both."

"I'm sorry, okay?" Mandi sighed, the guilt biting her. Even though she knew that Jo forgave her, she still needed to show her remorse. "It was terrible for me to yell at you, and accuse you. And then I ended up making both of us soaked. And I shouldn't have yelled at you, oh wait... I already said that. Anyway, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions, especially since Chastity does that to almost everyone." Mandi was rambling.

"Yup, it's not my fault that I'm hot." Jo interjected Mandi mid-ramble.

"I know, I know. And I'm so sorry that I—" Mandi stopped midsentence when she finally registered what Jo had said. She swatted the driver, a small crimson blush tingeing her cheeks.

"Is thee Mandi Weatherly blushing? Now this is truly a sight to behold. Where the hell is a camera when you need one?" Jo teased, getting her payback from the morning conversation.

"Whatever…" She huffed hotly, embarrassment silencing her.

"We are here, Princess. You're lucky I parked in the garage, or the rain would have been boiling off your cheeks. You sure do look warm… should I have had the AC on?" Jo joked, parking her car in the garage so they didn't have to dash in from the rain.

"Oh shut up." Mandi giggled, rolling her eyes. She stepped out of the car, already heading towards the door. When Mandi got inside, she took her shoes off and quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom. After she dried the excess water from her body, meaning that it wasn't dripping anymore, she reentered the kitchen, expecting to see Jo there. "Jo?" Her voice wavered, a little nervous at being in the house alone. Retracing her steps to the door that lead to the garage, Mandi could hear Jo talking to someone.

"Yeah, it's not a problem. I'll make sure to right them out." There was a pause. "Okay, yeah sure. I'll talk to you later. Good luck, Dad." Mandi opened the door, walking back into the garage now. Jo was putting her phone away, still dripping from the rain. "Sorry, my dad called."

"I was just worried that you got mugged in your own garage." Mandi responded, half joking.

"Well now you don't need to worry yourself, Princess. I'm alive." Jo did a little spin to emphasize the fact. A buzzing sound caught Mandi's attention.

"Well aren't you popular?" Mandi teased, realizing that Jo's phone was on vibrate. Jo sighed and answered the device, an eyebrow immediately hooking up.

"Oh come on…" Jo trailed off, yanking the phone a couple inches away from her ear. Obviously someone wasn't very happy on the other side of the cellphone. "Yup, I got it. Don't worry. Later." Jo hung up, exhaling a deep breath. "Sorry Mandi, let's get inside. You must be freezing."

"I'm already as dry as I'm going to get. You're the one creating the new indoor swimming pool." Mandi gestured to the puddle surrounding Jo's boots. They went inside, and Jo slung her jacket off and threw it in the dryer. "Abby said that the theater is shut down due to weather. Even I have to admit, it's getting pretty bad."

"I'm still amazed that you could drive home from school. I couldn't see five feet in front of us." Mandi exclaimed, getting chilly. "I can't believe it's only four." Mandi muttered, only being able to see a faint glow from a streetlight. A loud crack of thunder made the cheerleader jump, turning away from the window.

"If you want to get home, we should probably leave now. This is only supposed to get wor—" Before Jo could finish, a blinding flash flooded the room. Mandi shrieked, and Jo engulfed the shaking girl in a tight embrace, arms wrapped protectively around the brunette. Mandi dug her face into Jo's shoulder, hands turning white from the grip she had on Jo's shirt. The lights went out, leaving them in the dark aftermath. Two seconds after the blinding light, thunder rattled the windows, and Jo just hugged Mandi tighter, offering the girl comfort.

"Can I j-just stay?" Mandi begged, her question muffled by Jo's shoulder.

"Of course." Jo nodded, rubbing the girl's back lightly. She could tell that Mandi was a little freaked out by the storm. "Hey, I'm going to start the generator, and how about you and me just watch a movie? There is a box over there, so go pick something out. We can just have a lazy day."

"Alright, don't be gone too long." Mandi released her killer grip on Jo's shirt, trying to return the tomboy's smile. Jo walked into the garage and hooked the generator up. After that, she went and started some popcorn while she changed into something a little drier. After about ten minutes, she walked into the living room with a huge bowl of popcorn in one hand and some sweatpants and a shirt in the other.

"It's not designer, but it'll have to do." Jo joked, handing the clothes to the other girl. Mandi had a movie in her hands and got up from the couch.

"Trade?" She asked childishly, and Jo smirked at the innocence. She nodded, taking the movie and putting it in the DVD player. The smirk fell off of Jo's face when she turned around, seeing a half naked Mandi in the sweatpants and a bra. Innocent my ass, Jo thought, scooping her jaw off the floor. "Something wrong Jo?"

"N-no, I'm all g-good." Jo smiled weakly, watching Mandi put the shirt on slowly. At least I didn't watch her undress, her mind said thankfully.

"So what'd your dad say?" Mandi asked, flopping on the couch gracefully.

"He'll be here Sunday." Jo shrugged, as if it wasn't important. Mandi had a confused expression, grabbing the nearest blanket.

"So he's going to be gone until Sunday?" Jo just nodded, sitting next to the girl as the movie began to play. "What about your mom?" Jo itched her neck, her other hand tapping on the couches' arm.

"What 'bout?" Jo muttered softly, seemingly captivated by the film.

"When's she going to be home?" Mandi clarified, unable to read Jo's expression in the dark. All she saw was the neon glow the television emitted, casting a shadow across Jo's eyes.

"Never." And with that, Jo ate some popcorn, not breaking eye contact with the television once. Mandi sat for a few seconds, digesting what she just learned. After a full minute, realization dawned on her.

"Jo, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's fine. I'm over it." Jo shrugged, brushing it off. Mandi could tell by the calm and easygoing composure that Jo was most definitely not over it. Not wanting to upset the tomboy further, Mandi just opted to snuggle into Jo's side, for warmth and comfort from the raging storm. They watched the movie in silence, neither needing to say anything. It was nice, to sit and be comfortable without the need to break the serenity of the moment. When the credits began to roll, Jo stood up and stretched.

"I've never seen that movie before." Mandi said offhandedly, using this opportunity to go to the bathroom. When she returned, Jo was already sitting back down watching the previews erupt on the screen. "What, not waiting for me?"

"Well if you didn't take so damn long to pee—"

"Ooooohhh, aren't we snarky?" Mandi giggled, sitting right next to Jo.

"You know, not talking for two hours gives me just enough time to come up with new material."

"Lucky me." Mandi mocked excitement, scooting until she was flush against Jo's side, resting her head on Jo's shoulder. "It's only seven."

"Are you suggesting something, Princess?" Jo asked suggestively, her teasing/flirting causing Mandi to groan playfully.

"Sounds to me like you are the one suggesting it." Mandi countered, pulling the blanket around them both. "You're cold." She informed, rubbing one of Jo's freezing arms. When her hand reached Jo's she heard the mechanic let out a slight whimper. "Oh my god, how's your hand?" Mandi gingerly took the injured limb from under the blanket, examining best she could in the dim light.

"It's fine." Jo assured her, trying to not get distracted by the soft, warm circles Mandi was rubbing on the back of her hand. Mandi didn't answer, though it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that she didn't buy it. When the movie ended it was nearly ten, and Mandi was nodding off a little. "Hey, you should call your parents and let them know you're staying here."

"Oh right, I guess I should." Mandi replied groggily, pushing herself up with one hand on Jo's leg. The pressure was right on the inside of the knee, and it immediately set Jo on high alert. A few minutes later, the brunette walked back into the dark room, tossing her phone on the floor in front of the couch. "What's next?"

"Well there's this great one called Take Me To Bed. It's about this high school cheerleader, who pretends that she isn't tired when all she really wants to do is pass out and sleep." Jo described earnestly, putting an arm around Mandi when the girl hugged up against her. "Does it sound familiar?" Mandi shook her head, befuddled.

"I don't think I've seen that one." She admitted, feeling foolish for some reason.

"Wow, you really are tired. Come on, you can sleep in my bed." Jo offered, standing up despite the displeased groans. "Come on." Jo lead the girl to her bedroom, noticing the exhausted look in Mandi's eyes. "Alright, lay down."

"Aren't you going to sleep too?" Mandi wondered casually, getting under the covers.

"I'll just sleep on the floor." Jo ignored the mortified look.

"Why can't you sleep with me?" Jo dismissed her first reaction to tease Mandi about the innuendo packed in that sentence.

"You do realize that the bed is only a twin." Jo stated, pretty sure that Mandi was out of it.

"And? What's the problem? I need you to keep me safe anyways." Mandi opened the covers, expecting Jo to just hop in. "Seriously?" She reached out with her hand and grabbed the waistband of Jo's sweats and the bottom of her shirt in one handful, pulling the reluctant tomboy closer to the bed. "Now just lay down."

"And how do you suggest we do this?" Jo grumbled, disregarding the heat that was climbing up her neck.

"Worse comes to worse, I'll just sleep on top of you. I like you on the bottom anyway." Mandi smiled sleepily, happy when Jo got under the covers, hesitantly. Mandi knew that she was playing up her tiredness a bit much. Sure she wanted to use it to see how far Jo would go, but the charade was getting a little difficult. Her own boldness was catching her off guard. "Goodnight Jo." Mandi whispered, snuggling into the tense mechanic.

"Yup, night." Jo's voice was a little higher than normal, and Mandi allowed a smug smirk to grace her invisible face. It was sure going to be an interesting morning.

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><p><strong>I hope you all like the flirty humor that's taken off in this chapter. Of course there had to be a little conflict ;) but isn't it fantastic that Jo would go out in the storm, just to make sure that Mandi didn't have to swim home? Haha, what can I say? This is an incredibly fun story to write. And it's all because of you all. I wouldn't know what to do without your supportive REVIEWS and PM's. Thank again, and I hope the long chapter doesn't bother anyone.<strong>

**REVIEW= Happy; Happy= Inspiration; Inspiration= Writing; Writing= REVIEW!**

**READ, REVIEW, PM! (Please pick two to three of the choices) haha**

**Alright, done with the clever REVIEW and PM reminders... Hope you all like this story!**

**-JZ**


	6. Tire Iron

**Alright, well here is the next installment of the very much awaited "Ride of Your Life" story. Oddly enough, I've gotten quite a few Pm's and reviews telling me to hurry the hell up and get this chapter updated. I apologize for the delay... I've had plenty of ideas, but sadly not all of them were pretaining to this story... haha, but I got enough for a pretty long chapter, so there :P Any reviews would be very much appreciated. As you can tell, the only reason why I got back to writing this story was because of the REVIEWS and PM'S I was receiving. **

**-JZ**

* * *

><p>"Hmm…" Jo's light hum broke the melodic midday sounds of birds chirping and cars driving. The sun crept in the partially closed curtain, bathing the small desk and boxes in a golden blanket. However, Jo was far too comfortable snuggled into her bed which, she just noticed, had never felt so comfortable before. The warm light weight resting on her torso, and slight tickling on her nose seemed soothing somehow. The previous night just vanished, leaving her in a blind stupor as she fought consciousness, praying to just stay asleep for a little while longer. But even on a bright afterstorm day, things didn't just go the way Jo wanted them to.<p>

"Jo?" Mandi's tone was confused, baffled even, as she pushed up off of Jo, staring down in befuddlement. Jo cracked open an exhausted eyelid, a bit thrown by the uncertain expression.

"Let's just both be honest here, wouldn't it be way creepier if it wasn't me?" Jo muttered back sarcastically, feeling defensive for some unknown reason.

"What's going on?" Mandi questioned accusingly, her confusion turning a bit brittle.

"Looks like we fell asleep." Jo murmured, getting uncomfortable with the cheerleader hovering over her. "You can move off now." Mandi hastily obliged, moving so fast it was as if she was being burned. "And I thought I had trouble in the mornings." The brunette blushed, but hid her face as she stood up and stretched.

"Can you drive me home?" She asked, her voice sounding small as she walked out of the room. Jo didn't understand the sudden change in demeanor. Had she said something wrong last night? Did she say something in her sleep? Without answering, Jo followed suit, except she went to the kitchen instead. Grabbing a can of energy drink, she gulped on it as she looked over the bills on the table. A sigh burned her throat, and she rubbed her head in vain to attempt to dissipate the incoming migraine. Mandi padded into the kitchen, soft steps almost not alerting the blonde.

"Feeling any better?" Jo muttered from behind her drink, returning to reading the paper/ reading bills.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mandi pretended, forcing a smile as she slid into a chair.

"Liar." Jo responded, though she didn't mention anything else. The silence suffocated Mandi, and she was almost about to break it, but Jo beat her to it. "Nothing happened last night."

"I know." It was crisp, and neither of them mistook the blatant scoff.

"I don't know why you're acting so weird about this." Jo sighed, her headache increasing at a dangerous rate.

"Sorry, but I just woke up on top of you." Mandi exploded, jumping up from her seat. Jo imagined that's why the cheerleader was so good at her sport, because she could crack into action at any time. "How can you not be weird about this?"

"It's a talent." Jo grumbled sarcastically, not even glancing up from her paper. "We can just… forget that it ever happened if you're going to be such a pansy about it." Mandi visibly relaxed, finding the suggestion much more likeable than any other solution. "Great, now that that's settled, did you mention something about a ride home?" Jo continued, seemingly unfazed by the previous conversation.

"Oh right, yeah I should probably be going home soon." Mandi trailed off, cringing when she looked at her cellphone.

"That's not a pretty face." Mandi stuck her tongue out in response, but her fingers moved with a fury as she texted the according keys. "Alright, what's up? You miss a hot date or something?"

"No, I was just supposed to be home by eight." Mandi stated indignantly, huffing as she got herself a glass of water.

"You do realize that it's ten, right?" Jo asked, pushing the letter and papers aside. She stared Mandi straight in the eyes until the girl would look at her. Mandi was almost lost in the intensity of the glare, finding it more amusing than intimidating. "Better get you home, Princess." Jo stood up and went to the laundry room, and a couple minutes later she returned clad in a pair of dark jeans, a white wife beater, and her leather jacket under her arm. "I'll be back in a minute. You might want to put shoes on, I've heard that cement is freezing in the cold." Jo's snarky remark caused a small smile to lace Mandi's lips. Just as promised, Jo appeared a couple minutes later, a toothbrush loosely dangling from her mouth and clothes folded under one arm.

"Isn't that attractive." Mandi sneered, swirling the end of the toothbrush around before poking Jo's nose playfully.

"Whavaell?" Jo muttered, the sound muffled by white foam. Spitting the minty froth in the kitchen sink, she quickly rinsed it out and washed her hands. "I'm guessing that it's best to get you home before you start patting me on the head like a puppy."

"Are those my clothes?" Mandi ignored the mechanic's comment, instead staring at the bundle hidden under the leather jacket.

"No, I just like carrying these. They help me practice for the Olympics." It was almost instantaneous, the snarky cocky remark. Mandi let out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head in amazement.

"You really are a smartass." She finally said, taking the clothes away and heading out the door.

"So what are your royal plans today, Princess?" Jo opened the door for Mandi, doing an exaggerated bow as she waited for the brunette to buckle her seatbelt. Closing the door with a gentle touch, Jo patted the hood of the car affectionately before getting in her own side.

"A little of this, little of that." Mandi answered coyly, doing a little twirling gesture with her index finger. The short drive consisted of little jabs at each other, their playful banter having a calming effect. When Jo pulled into the driveway, she parked before turning to Mandi.

"You don't have my number yet, do you?"

"No, I guess not." Mandi giggled, whipping her phone out of her purse. Jo tossed the brunette her phone, laughing at the girl's shriek.

"Is that a '73 Mustang?" Jo questioned, her excitement leaking into her voice as she got distracted by the sight of a red car with black pinstripes jacked up in a shed. It was just barely in sight, but the car was unmistakable.

"I think so." Mandi giggled, rolling her eyes and thinking 'of course' since Jo seemed to be a car magnet.

"What's wrong with it?" Jo broke her gaze, turning her attention back to the girl in the passenger's seat.

"I don't know. It's more of my stepdad's hobby car. He said that he went over something and now it makes some loud noises. That was a couple months ago and he swore up and down that he'd have it fixed in a week." Mandi shook her head, laughing a little. "He's no mechanic, so it's just been sitting there."

"I can take a quick look, if you want that is." Jo suggested, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Sure, but I must warn you, whatever he hit really did some damage." Mandi warned lightly, remembering the swears and curses her stepdad shouted while he was trying to unbend some things that he didn't even know the name of.

"Trust me Princess, I've seen torn up racecars that were on fire. I think I've got a handle on this." Jo winked, getting out of the car with one thought in her mind. She'd never really seen such a sweet car so close up, and in such mint condition. Just because Mandi's stepdad didn't know a hammer from a socket wrench, didn't mean he didn't know how to wax the gorgeous beast.

"Aren't you cocky." Mandi hummed, entering the shed just a few moments after Jo. "Jo?" She looked around, seeing no sign of the mysterious mechanic. "Jo…?"

"You mind handing me a flashlight? This one's burning out." Jo hollered out from under the car, wheeling the creeper, she was using, out just enough that she could get a hold of the flashlight.

"See anything?" Mandi asked a couple minutes later, having taken a seat on a stool by the workbench.

"Hmm… Yeah, there are a few deep scratches under here, but the muffler has all gone to hell. I think he may have gone over a mound of gravel or something… there are still rocks in the muffler." Jo answered strategically, calculating exactly how much damage there was. "And a few things got knocked loose… nothing that I can't tighten back up."

"And the muffler thing?" Mandi wondered, realizing that Jo had gotten farther with the car in the past few minutes than her stepdad did in the last couple months.

"I'll order a part, but installing it won't be a problem." Jo mumbled, a bit amazed at the size of the holes. The muffler was probably rusting already, and the rocks just busted the thinned metal. There were a few pebble sized punctures, but the one that her entire fist fit into with room to spare was the main problem.

"Mandi, who's here? And what are you doing in my shed?" A man with dark, borderline black, hair questioned, his deep brows furrowed in suspicion. "And you're late." He added, folding his arms as he stared down his stepdaughter. He loved her, but knew she had a tendency to push the rules. Glancing around the shop, he saw feet hanging out from under his car. "And who is under there?"

"Oh, that's just Jo—" Before Mandi could explain, David cut her off.

"Jo? I don't like you bringing guys around here that I've never met. And definetly not when you two sneak around inside my shop. Now get out, kid." He yanked hard on one of Jo's ankles, sending her skidding across the ground. She was just getting a measurement for some fittings when she was pulled out from under the car, and her hand was sliced on a sharp edge. "Look here, if you—You're not a guy." David Weatherly stared down, befuddled at the blond teen still lying on the creeper.

"No David, Jo isn't a guy." Mandi growled, finding her stepdad's behavior unbelievable.

"W-well, what was she doing then?" David tried to cover up, but he was failing miserably to make any sense.

"Sorry Sir, Mandi told me that you were having some trouble with your car and I figured I'd take a quick look." Jo apologized, using the worktable to help her up.

"Oh my god, Jo you're bleeding." Mandi stared wide eyed at the thick red smear on the wooden bench. Jo looked at her hand, seeing the cut that started just below her index finger and ending clear across her palm. Blood dripped off onto the cement steadily, gushing in her palm and overflowing to the ground.

"It's fine." Jo murmured, though she knew it was useless. David turned pale, but grabbed a shop towel and pressed it to Jo's hand.

"I'm so sorry." He repeated, guilt riddling his voice.

"Sir, it's fine." Jo repeated again, but was already being led into the Weatherly mansion by two distressed people.

"Nonsense Jo, I apologize. Here, we'll get you inside and check to see if we should take you to the hospital." As they entered the house, Jo felt a bit thrown by the size. Sure she'd been inside Abby's house, but that was even a bit weird to her. Mandi's house was like a foreign country.

"Mom, can you get the first aid kit?" Mandi called out, leading Jo into the kitchen.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Mrs. Weatherly sounded worried, and she appeared in a flash with a little case in tote. "Oh my…"

"My name's Jo. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Weatherly." Jo sounded extremely polite, which she always was with people's parents.

"Oh Jo dear, Mandi's told me a lot about you." Mrs. Weatherly answered calmly, telling her husband to throw away the shop towel as she started to clean away the blood. It was still bleeding, but slowed a bit. "Don't worry David, it's not as bad as it looks. I don't think this will even need stitches." She smiled at Jo reassuringly.

"I told you it's fine." Jo smirked at Mandi; however, Mrs. Weatherly just laughed.

"It still needs to get cleaned up though." Mrs. Weatherly informed softly, putting some antibacterial stuff on and pouring some hydrogen peroxide. The bubbling and fizzing made Jo wince, but she didn't complain. "What happened anyway?"

"Dad pulled Jo out from under the car." Mandi replied angrily, still worried about Jo.

"I was just… I thought she was a guy, and…" Mr. Weatherly slumped his shoulders, already feeling bad enough. "I'm sorry Jo, it is my fault."

"Don't beat yourself up, Sir. I've had a lot worse while working on cars." Jo tried to smooth the situation over, feeling uncomfortable by the regret and guilt in the man's eyes. "Speaking of which, I found the problem. The muffler is in pretty bad shape, and you just need some serious tightening on some loose fittings, but all in all, the mustang is still in good shape. If you don't mind, I can order the muffler and have it all fixed up by the end of the week." Jo offered, hand pushed to the edge of her mind.

"That's kind of you Jo, but I'm sure you can understand that I'm a bit skeptical about—"

"David, it sounds like she knows what she's doing." Mrs. Weatherly told him with a smile on her face, effectively causing him to shrug and nod, chuckling a little.

"Dad, you should just let Jo handle it. And don't ever treat any of my friends like that again." Mandi warned her stepfather, glaring daggers at him. Jo fidgeted a bit, but Mrs. Weatherly squeezed her arm, and it had an odd calming effect.

"Alright, alright… I'll let you girls mingle while I try to get some work done." He excused himself, heading up the stairs to his office.

"I'm sorry Jo, I can't believe he acted like that." Mandi looked humiliated, an uncharacteristic blush forcing a smirk to spring onto Jo's face.

"Why not? I'm sure he has to fend off plenty of obnoxious possible suitors. I'd be protective too if I was in his shoes." Jo winked, not hearing Mandi's mom walking back into the room from throwing away the bloody bandages. Mandi went red, but didn't say anything accept a mumbled thanks.

"Are you staying for lunch, Jo?" Mandi's mom made her presence known, smiling adoringly at the blond mechanic.

"Oh, no I should really be getting back." Jo jumped up from her stool, nodding to the two Weatherly women. "Thank you Mrs. Weatherly, sorry for all the trouble. See you around, Mandi." Jo smirked, walking out the front door and giving them a charming/cute half wave with her bandaged hand.

"Please call me Stacey!" Mrs. Weatherly yelled out, closing the door behind Jo. Mandi watched out the window as Jo drove out the driveway, and she could still feel the tingling of adrenaline from Jo's words. "She's a nice girl." Mandi's mom smiled knowingly, humming as she went back into the kitchen.

"I stayed at her house last night." Mandi confirmed, taking a seat on one of the stools. "The weather was bad, and the power went out."

"I know dear." Stacey answered, continuing with preparing lunch.

"I've also been going to her house after school for about a week." Mandi continued, waiting for some kind of response.

"That's nice. I like her, she's very sweet." Mandi laughed at her mother's comment, but nodded and started to pick at the sandwich her mom slid in front of her. "Your father is still a bit mad about the Nick thing, so I understand that he may have overreacted."

"May have?" Mandi balked, doing a double take.

"Okay he definitely did, but it was an accident. And Jo seems to be very aware of that, and understanding." Stacey pointed out, placing a glass of milk in front of Mandi.

"I hate milk." Mandi whined, but sighed and drank it anyways. "So you don't mind that I'm hanging out with Jo?"

"Not at all, I'm actually very happy about it. She's smart, and a positive influence."

"Mom, you've only met her once." Mandi defended, a bit surprised at how quickly her mom was taking to the biker chick.

"First impressions are everything, honey." Stacey winked, and went off into the living room. "I also hope that we'll see her around the house more. And next time she drives that bike here, perhaps you two will get farther than the driveway before driving off." Mandi couldn't believe that her mother knew the entire week that she was hanging out with some mysterious biker chick and didn't even bring it up… but maybe that was a good thing.

* * *

><p>"Hey dad, I'm just on my way back home." Jo stated into the device, almost halfway home.<p>

"Where were you?" He asked, but sounded distracted and distant.

"Just dropping off a friend."

"Hmm… did you get those bills mailed out yet?" He questioned, dismissing the fact that Jo was driving a 'friend' home at ten in the morning.

"Yeah, put them in just before I left." Jo groaned, tired of talking to him over a cell phone.

"I know kid, but work's crazy. I'll be home tonight for sure." He sighed, and she heard a few crashing sounds in the background. "Damn it, I've got to go." The line went dead and Jo was left with nothing.

"Bye…" She grumbled into the line, closing her phone and rolling her eyes. When she got home, she thought about unpacking her stuff, but sighed and grabbed a couple energy drinks and a processed cookie from the cupboard. She sat around watching television for an hour, before stretching and heading out to the garage. There was only so much organizing and tuning up one person could do before there was nothing left. And two hours swooped by when Jo reached that point. She even called in a friend to send her the muffler she needed, and it wasn't even four o'clock yet. Her phone rang, and she didn't have a good feeling about the call.

"Hey Jo, I'm sorry bud but…" It was her dad, and the regret in his voice was familiar.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Jo monotoned, ignoring the slight pang in her chest. "Just make sure that idiot doesn't crash the damn car again."

"Tomorrow is the race…" He tried to make up excuses, but the plain truth was that he was tired and didn't want to waste an hour drive and back when he could just sleep in the cot in the shop. There was no point in going home if he had to be back by six thirty to help set up for the race… at least, he didn't see a point.

"I said, don't worry about it." That was Jo's way of saying 'fuck off' if she didn't feel like talking. "Seriously, it's not like we were going to go to church and have a big family dinner anyways."

"I'm sorry, alright. I'm just busy. Maybe you should go over to a friend's house, or don't you have a girlfriend or something?" He asked, exasperated.

"No, when have I ever had a girlfriend for longer than two weeks?" Jo laughed humorlessly, shaking her head. "But whatever, it's not a problem. I guess I could go out and find one, it is Saturday night and all."

"Have fun." He hung up, ignoring her last statement as he dragged himself off to sleep. Jo checked the time 4:32 pm… She loved her dad, but they never really had that ultimate bond. Neither of them really knew how to display emotions, Rod because he was still mourning the loss of his wife, and Jo because she never had anyone show her how. Jo laughed, just realizing that she'd broken a couple of her rules. She made a spectacle of herself and she formed attachments. It was kind of sick, she was checking off her 'never-to-do' files like a shopping list. Her dad just basically told her to go fuck someone to get over her 'teenage mood swings' and that pissed her off.

'_Want to have dinner at my house? Invite Mandi so we can finally get over the whole feud thing… plz? –Abby'_

Jo read the message with a bit of a shrug. She didn't have anything better to do tonight, so might as well get those two to grow a pair and get over their ridiculous differences. It didn't take long for her to reply and send Mandi a message, which got a speedy response as well. Apparently everyone was hanging out by their phones right now.

'_Sure, I'll be there in half an hour. You sure this is a good idea?-Mandi' _

It didn't take long for Jo to grab her jacket and lock up the house. She hadn't really accomplished much today, and she really wasn't feeling up to playing referee tonight, but whatever happened would happen. She just hoped that it would end better than it started. Twenty minutes later, Jo arrived at Abby's house, ringing the doorbell and waiting patiently.

"Jo, I'm so glad you're joining us tonight." Abby's mom answered the door, pulling Jo into a hug. The girl was stiff and slowly patted the woman's back awkwardly.

"Thanks Mrs. Hanover." Jo answered ineptly.

"I've told you a hundred times Jo, just call me Ilene." She released the teenager, and Jo was finally able to suck in some air. "Abby's up in her room. Dinner will be ready in half an hour."

"Thanks Mrs… er, Ilene." Jo caught herself after seeing the soft glare from the woman, and hurried up the steps. "Looks great." Jo commented on Abby's latest artwork. It was brilliant, a portrait of stones all around a clear pond with the sun reflecting off the water. "I'll have to put that in your portfolio."

"I already told you, there is no way my dad will let me go to an art school." Abby laughed sadly, happy to see her friend.

"No Elliot tonight?" Jo asked a bit surprised.

"Nope. Tonight is just for you, me…"

"And Mandi." Jo smirked, hiding any signs that something was amiss.

"I hope that we can just be done with this stupid feud and get on with our lives." Abby said optimistically, then looked at Jo quizzically. "I'm kind of astonished that you came. Don't you usually hang out with your dad on weekends?"

"Yup." Jo answered, but didn't add any more information. Abby nodded knowingly, figuring that her friend's dad was just pulling an allnighter like other times.

"Oh well, let's head down. I'm sure Mandi will be here soon." Sure enough, once they reached the bottom step, the doorbell rang and Abby rushed off with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. "Hi Mandi."

"Hi." Mandi responded, offering a tight smile.

"Come in, how about we talk in the living room?" Mandi looked a bit relieved when she caught sight of Jo, but otherwise she was pretty tense.

"Don't worry, we're not going to murder you and bury your body somewhere under the foundation." Jo chuckled, dissipating the tension quickly. When they all sat down, it was quiet and awkward. "This could go better."

"Look Mandi, I don't want to fight with you. Wouldn't it be better if we were just friends?" Abby suggested, her smile barely visible.

"We have never been friends." Mandi huffed, feeling a bit defensive.

"That's because you constantly torment me."

"Or because you always got me in trouble."

"Because you tormented me."

"Do either of you even remember when this little catfight began?" Jo asked both of them, not waiting for the answer as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Mandi questioned, sending a glare after her.

"To get a drink. And I expect you two to be all buddy-buddy by the time I get back." Jo smirked, waving carelessly as she waltzed out of the room.

"When did we start hating each other?" Abby wondered, finding it a bit odd that she couldn't remember.

"When you started always having to one up me on everything." Mandi growled, holding her ground.

"I only wanted to do that so you would be my friend. You always acted like you were too good for me." Abby admitted, and the little ground she gave was returned.

"And I always thought that you were trying to act too good for me." Mandi mentioned amusedly, putting down her sword slightly.

"So we hated each other because we thought the other one was trying to win a game that we didn't even realize we were playing?" Abby laughed, realizing how stupid it really was. "That doesn't make much sense."

"No, it really doesn't." Mandi couldn't help but joining in the laughter, finding it not terrible to chat with Abby Hanover.

"Well laughter is good." Jo announced as she came back in the room, having a soda for Abby, water for Mandi, and an energy drink for herself. "Playing nice, I see."

"How about we stop with this stupid competition of ours and just try to be friends?" Abby offered her olive branch, which Mandi partially agreed to.

"Ditto on the competition, but let's just start off with stopping making each other's life intolerable. Friendship should come along." She smiled, shaking hands with Abby.

"Great, so we're all good now?" Jo asked bluntly, and both the girls burst out into giggles.

"We'll see how long it'll last, but for the time being, yes." Mandi answered, taking a sip of her water.

"Hey kids, I brought you all dinner. I figured you'd just eat in here and watch some TV. I'm happy to see you Mandi." Ilene gave each of them a plate with chicken, broccoli, and French bread on it. "And make sure you eat that broccoli Jo." Jo went a shade redder, mumbling a 'yes ma'am' under her breath. "See you later girls."

"Your mom is nice." Mandi complimented, cutting her chicken into small bites. "I didn't know you had a distaste for broccoli." Mandi teased, and Abby jumped in.

"Jo hates pretty much any vegetable." Abby laughed at the scowl on Jo's face. "Aw, you almost look embarrassed, Jo Mitchell."

"Shut up and eat your dinner." Jo muttered to the giggling duo, almost wondering if getting the two to agree to a truce was a good thing. "I'm going to have to head out after dinner."

"Why don't you stay the night?" Abby insisted, hoping her friend would at least consider it.

"No, I didn't get much stuff done today so I'll be busy tomorrow. Maybe next time." With that, the subject was dropped. The rest of dinner consisted of them joking with each other, laughing at the lame rerun they were watching, and eating… which is what dinner is really about, the food. "Alright, I'll see you two Monday." Jo gave her signature half wave as she grabbed her plate and headed out. After Abby heard the front door close, she sighed.

"Jo do that a lot?" Mandi asked, referring to the hasty exit thing.

"Yeah, it just takes her a while to get used to places like this." Abby replied, giving the brunette a reassuring smile.

"Doesn't she come around here a lot? She must be getting used to the house by now." Mandi laughed, finding it a bit absurd.

"She's fine with the house, but it's more of the other stuff that she's uncomfortable with." Abby shrugged, realizing that Mandi still didn't get it. "What do you know about Jo's family?"

"Her mom's not around and I haven't met her dad yet." Mandi said, getting a suspicion where this was going.

"Jo doesn't like to talk about it, but her mom died when she was one. So she never really knew her. And Jo's dad works a lot, and doesn't get home a lot. They're supposed to hang out on the weekends, at least that's what Jo told me once, but he spends the night at his work a lot and sometimes he doesn't come home for a few days. Even when he does, Jo's sometimes gone at school or something and he just leaves to go back to work after a few hours of sleep and a change of clothes." Mandi stared at Abby in shock, not even thinking about Jo's dad being so busy.

"She never mentions it."

"If you haven't noticed, Jo's kind of the loner type." Abby let out a sorrowful laugh, sighing.

"That's something I believe." Mandi replied with a slight smile, though she didn't feel anything that should be smiled about. "So you're saying that family situations make Jo uncomfortable?"

"Yeah, she's not used to it. But I think it's any kind of relationship really. She's great to joke around with, but has a lot of trouble going any deeper. She'll listen and give advice, and she's a fantastic friend. But I don't think she knows how to talk about things… okay, now I'm sounding like a Dr. Phil episode." They both laughed at that, but it was mainly for a little bit of comic relief in their serious talk.

"Thanks for dinner Abby, it was a lot of fun. And I'll make sure to keep Hope and Chastity from messing with you." Mandi said, getting ready to leave.

"Wait, just um… don't mention anything I told you to Jo. I don't know if that'd be a great idea." Abby sounded small and uncertain of herself, but Mandi reassured her.

"Sure thing, my lips are sealed." Mandi zipped them metaphorically, and threw away the key. "I'll see you at school."

"You too, I'm glad we finally talked." And with that, they ended their meeting, the treaty was struck and that should keep them from squabbling for a while. But even with that new truce going on, Mandi couldn't take her mind off of Jo, sitting home alone, doing whatever the hell Jo does when she's all alone. Mandi felt bad, wishing that she could get Jo to sleep over at her house or something, anything for the girl to stop being such a loner. It was true, Jo didn't act like anything was ever wrong, but sometimes… Mandi could swear that she saw it in the girl's eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so Mandi is getting more and more concerned for Jo? Mandi's mom seems pretty keen about her daughter hanging out with a blond haired biker chick that has a knack at fixing things... Some of Jo's personality traits are getting busted by her friends, Mandi and Abby are getting along now, Jo's dad kind of blew her off, Mandi's stepdad may have been a bit overprotective, but wasn't really a total jerk, and Ilene Hanover thinks Jo is way too formal.<strong>

**Is that enough little tid bits in a chapter? Should there be more? I know I missed a lot in my summary there. **

**Tell me what you thought of the chapter, story, writing style, etc... Also let me know some things you'd like to see more popping up in the story. And I know everyone is waiting on the romance, but that's all in good time (which means the next chapter or two)...**

**Please leave a REVIEW before returning to browsing the web... or PM me, i enjoy both.**

**-JZ**


	7. Yellow Flag

**I know it's been a while, but... I hope you like this chapter. I'd really appreciate REVIEWS and PM's because they really do give me motivation. Thank you to everyone that is reading this, have a very Happy Thanksgiving! **

**I don't own Mean Girls...**

**-JZ**

* * *

><p><strong>Monday…<strong>

"Waiting for someone?" Mandi saw Jo leaning against her bike, but the girl was completely lost in thought until the brunette practically shouted.

"Huh?" Jo snapped her head up, her blue eyes connecting with deep chocolate. Mandi laughed good-naturedly, snapping her fingers when Jo had zoned out again.

"What's with you?" Mandi questioned, now feeling disturbed by her usually highly alert friend's loss of concentration.

"Thinking…" She sighed, offering Mandi a calming smile.

"About?"

"Stuff." That ended the subject, and Jo reinforced her decision by walking back towards Mandi's car, not even checking to see if the girl was following her, which she was. "I had a friend get me that part. I can start working on the car anytime you want, Princess."

"And you waited an hour and a half to tell me this?" The brunette asked jokingly, saying a quick thank you as Jo opened the driver's door for her.

"Of course, I am but a humble servant." The blond continued to tease, bowing her head as she held the door while Mandi got in. Glancing up ever so sneakily, Jo shot the ice princess a cocky smirk before gently shutting the door to the expensive sports car. "You looked good." Mandi did a double take, blushing from the comment.

"What d-do you mean?" She tried to hide her red face, but the musical chuckle proved that her efforts were in vain.

"During practice, you looked good." Jo repeated again, as if it was obvious, which to her it was.

"You were watching?" Mandi's voice came out a little higher pitch than she intended, and she swatted at Jo through the open window.

"Hey, hey, no need to get physical." The blond snickered, leaning back into the open window, arms resting on the interior part of the door, when she felt it was safe. "I've never really got what the big deal was about cheerleading. But… it's cool, I guess."

"You guess? Oh thank you Jo Mitchell for giving me your possible approval." Mandi threw her hands up, laughing as her tone sounded mockingly grateful. "You sure know how to impress a girl."

"Sheesh, alright then. You were fantastic." Jo said earnestly, her smirk dying down into a genuine smile. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk."

"I didn't know that you, Jo Mitchell, knew how to apologize." The mixture of fake and real shock was clear, and Mandi was finding it harder and harder to believe that Jo was the tough loner chick that she almost immediately gained the reputation as. "You're a difficult person to read."

"Good," Jo murmured, staring down at her hands that were fidgeting. "Maybe you'll stop trying…" She finished, though it sounded like more of a whisper to herself than Mandi. Just as the brunette was going to interrogate the blond further, Jo jolted upright, slamming her head onto the roof of the car. "Fuck…" She hissed, rubbing her sore neck as she stiffly pulled her head out of the car.

"Sorry Jo, didn't mean to startle you." Chastity smiled, twirling her hair annoyingly with one finger while the other hand was rubbing Jo's back. "Are you alright?" She sounded worried, but it was an obvious act that suddenly made Mandi pissed off. She couldn't believe that Chastity was putting moves on Jo right in front of her… not that she cared… did she care?

"Just a mild concussion with possible internal bleeding and a fractured neck, and throw in a few displaced discs… yeah, I'm fantastic." Jo grumbled sarcastically, glowering at the clueless blond bimbo. The confused expression on Chastity's face was enough for Mandi to turn away to stifle a giggle. "Now if you don't mind, I really don't need your hand there." Jo stepped out of the unwanted contact, still cursing softly. "I'll head over later to work on that car, see ya then." Jo mumbled before turning around and muttering some obscene phrases all the way back to her bike.

"Oh so Jo's going over to your place then?" Chastity smiled broadly, an idea already forming in her mind. Mandi sighed at her friend, getting a bit tired of the sexcrazed girl's antics. The blond hurriedly got into the passenger's seat, flicking the radio stations.

"Since when did you like girls?" Mandi wondered aloud, having never seen the blond take another girl to any of her make out spots.

"Oh no, I don't." At the befuddled expression, Chastity just rolled her eyes, speaking slowly like she was explaining addition to a first grader. "Jo's hot, and I just want to have some fun. You only live once, and Jo looks like lots of fun." She ended her explanation with a wink.

"How are you sure that Jo's into girls?" Mandi inquired a bit smugly, feeling proud that she found a flaw in the plan.

"That's easy. She would have hooked up with your brother by now if she were straight." And to Mandi's dismay, that seemed like the first logical thing the blond had ever said. "Hurry up, I want to be tanning when Jo comes over."

"Jo Mitchell is off limits." Mandi said without thinking, but she meant every word. Chastity's eyes widened and she pouted her lower lip out, glaring at Mandi.

"Are you for serious?" The blond finally busted, a depressed sulk on her face. "Why?" She interrogated, expecting some jealous response. And Mandi was about to fall into that trap, until she stopped and thought of a plausible reply. Truth was, she didn't know why Jo was off limits, she just was.

"Because Jo is my friend and that'd be weird for me. It would be like you and Hope dating, and I really don't want drama among friends." She put on her best sad face, puppy dog eyes and a fake embarrassed sigh was enough to have the blond cooing.

"I'm sorry Mandi, I didn't even think about that. Alright, I won't even look at Jo… Well, looking won't hurt. Can't we at least watch? Please, I promise I won't touch." Mandi just nodded, cursing in her head at her friend's persistence. "It'll be fun."

"You think my friend is sexy." Mandi monotoned, emphasizing 'friend' unintentionally.

"And you don't?" Chastity asked bewildered. "We're in high school, it isn't bad if we experiment a little." She gave a seductive wink, rolling her shoulders.

"Whatever, but you are not getting within kissing distance of Jo." Mandi laid down the law, giving a stern nod to Chastity before parking her car in the garage.

"We have some serious girl talk to do!" They strutted into the mansion, dropping their backpacks and purses off by the counter.

"Smoothie?" Mandi asked, pulling out the blender already.

"Oh yum!" Chastity hummed, pulling out various fruits from the blender. "Should we make Jo one?" She asked suggestively, laughing at Mandi's exasperated expression.

"Jo doesn't drink smoothies. Something about not liking fruit chunks." Mandi giggled at the memory of one of their talks while they (meaning Jo) were working on the Impala.

"_Want to stop and get a smoothie tomorrow? Strawberry and banana blend is to die for!" Mandi gushed as she fantasized about her favorite smoothie at the Smoothie Place. _

"_Do they have anything else there? Perhaps something that isn't frozen fruit mangled by a blade and attempted to be passed off as something edible?" Jo suggested, peeking out from behind the hood. "Towel?" Mandi tossed the mechanic a towel, her bad aim causing it to land about three feet from the car. "Thanks…" Jo chuckled sarcastically, rolling her eyes._

"_OMG, how do you not love smoothies? They are like the greatest thing ever invented!" Mandi's inner/ outer school girl was showing, the bewilderment reflecting in her eyes._

"_Awkward chunks of fruit that you can't distinguish… Hell there could be a thumb in there and all you would think was 'This strawberry is extra chewy' before you swallowed it. You really have no idea what could be in there." Jo pointed out, tossing the towel back and laughing when she heard Mandi shriek, the towel hitting her square in the face, some grease smudging her cheek._

"_JO!" Mandi screamed, glaring at the girl for a moment. "Anyways, you're just being paranoid. That stuff never actually happens."_

"_How would you know? It's not like you'd notice." Jo muttered, returning to the task at hand. With an exaggerated rolling of the eyes, Mandi let the subject rest, knowing that she wouldn't beat Jo._

"Well aren't you two cozy." Chastity muttered, taking a seat as Mandi tossed in some blueberries and raspberries, pouring some milk and a few other ingredients that neither of them really paid attention to.

"What are you thinking?" Mandi wondered, turning the blender on. The blond just put her index finger on her chin, tapping it lightly. When the rumbling cut off, Mandi waited for her answer before she gave the blond the cup. "No smoothie until you explain."

"I'm just thinking that you broke up with Nick for some reason, which you've kept secret. And you and Jo have been pretty close since then…"

"Jo just helped me realize that Nick is a dick. Being with him was terrible." Mandi admitted, and Chastity immediately went into best friend mode.

"Oh sweetie, I didn't know it was so bad." She cooed, rubbing Mandi's back as she discretely grabbed her smoothie.

"He's just a jerk jock that thinks he's better than everybody else." Mandi huffed, fighting her tears. "Let's just go out to the pool. I want to do my nails."

"Yay!" Chastity cheered, and they both grabbed the various supplies needed… and of course their bikinis.

* * *

><p>"You going to be home tonight?" Jo sighed into the speaker, not expecting much.<p>

"Of course kid, it'll be you, me, and a pizza. We can catch up." Rod added gruffly, packing up his clothes from the week. "We've got to celebrate tonight." Jo could tell by the tone of his voice that something was up, and she had a sinking feeling.

"You didn't…?" She hissed, almost slamming on the breaks. Someone honked behind her, and she put her foot back on the pedal, her mind not on driving. "Damn it Dad, we've been over this."

"Relax Jo, it's all okay. I won, so what's the harm?" Rod laughed, his grin still painted all over his face.

"You promised." Jo reminded him, feeling torn. Her dad had a gambling problem… and even worse than that was the fact that he usually lost. Once he started, he couldn't stop. And he was in denial, refusing to accept that he had a problem. It caused a big gap to develop between the two, and him gambling again wasn't going to help. "Remember last time?"

"Jo, this is adult business. I'm sorry kid, but you don't need to worry about this stuff. I'll be home around five." He hung up, no 'goodbye' or' see ya later' just silence.

"Fuck!" Jo squeezed her phone, hand turning white and the device squeaked in protest. "Damn it!" Banging her fist on the center console, she threw her phone against the passenger's door. It didn't take long to pull into the Weatherly driveway, collecting herself before she exited the Impala. Quietly she carried the muffler to the garage, setting some tools out and getting ready.

"Hey Jo!" Chastity's annoying tone ruptured the serenity of the shed, and Jo sighed before turning to the sound. Her breath caught in her throat, not expecting to see the two in bikinis on a fall day. Mandi waved, and Jo's eyes didn't leave the brunette.

"Hey…" She answered lamely, snapping out of her momentary stupor. Cursing under her breath, she pulled off her overshirt and got some glasses on before she started working under the car.

"Jo doesn't look too bad, huh?" Chastity cooed, giving Mandi a nudge. Mandi giggled at her friend, rolling her eyes. "Admit it, Jo is hot. Look at her. Toned abs, sexy smile, and that bad girl thing she has going on."

"Okay fine, I'll admit that Jo may be a little sexy." Mandi blushed, and they both giggled as they watched Jo climb under the mustang.

"Did you see the way Jo looked at you? She was definately checking you out." Chastity teased, starting to paint her nails.

"No she wasn't. She was just surprised to see us in our swimsuits. And I'm still surprised you wanted to tan outside. It's a bit chilly." Mandi fought the blush that rose up her neck at the thought of Jo checking her out.

"It's freezing! But I only wanted us to do this as a test. And Jo certainly passed... with flying colors." Mandi narrowed her eyes, giving Chastity an accusing expression. "High school is a time to experiment. And I don't think Jo would be too opposed to that if... well nevermind."

"If what?" Mandi questioned, looking baffled.

"If you were ever interested. Jo obviously has a thing for you." Chastity felt like she had to spell it out for Mandi, a bit shocked at the brunette's naiveness.

"No, we're just friends." Mandi stated, leaning over and painting her toenails. She had enough with all this talk. They changed to the subject to something about getting new uniforms for cheerleading.

* * *

><p>"Thirsty?" Mandi asked, sitting on a bucket with a towel wrapped around her. "It's that crazy energy stuff you drink." She tapped the can on the side of the car to emphasize her point. "You've been working on that for like… three hours."<p>

"Yeah, well there are a lot of things to do." Jo's muffled remark made Mandi frown.

"Are you mad at me?" She'd hardly seen Jo so antisocial, and she had a suspicion that something was wrong.

"No." Jo answered, but it was slow and deliberate. "Isn't it a little cold to be swimming?"

"Chastity wanted to tan, and we did our nails too." Mandi giggled, taking her toes and tugging the bottom of Jo's jeans. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jo slid out for the first time in an hour, her eyes adjusting to the light. "Cold?" She smirked, noticing the towel.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am." She handed the can to Jo, and then wrapped the towel tighter. She caught Jo scanning the garage and pool area. "She just left, something about meeting up with a guy from school."

"Your friend scares me." Jo stated, dead serious as she popped the tab and took a swig. Mandi burst out into giggles, and nodded.

"She's a pretty good friend. And she likes you." Mandi was playing with Jo's boot with her bare toes, pulling on the laces.

"Really? I didn't notice." Jo chuckled sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Stop that." She smirked, raising an annoyed eyebrow when her shoe was untied.

"Then you stop dodging. I may be a peppy cheerleader, but I'm not stupid." Mandi demanded, staring intensely at the blonde. Jo laughed and shook her head, her trademark smirk on but it hardly reached her eyes.

"You're over analyzing." Jo told her, tilting her head to the side.

"No I'm not." Mandi stated, getting a bit irritated. "I can tell you're mad about something. What is it? Can't you tell I'm just worried?"

"You have nothing to be worried about." Jo growled defensively, laughing. "I was just absorbed in the car, okay? It won't happen again, Your Majesty."

"It's more than that, and I can tell." Mandi fumed, grabbing the can from Jo's hand and placing it on the workbench. "You can talk to me."

"I need to go…" Jo whispered, staring into Mandi's concerned eyes. "My dad said he'd be home around five."

"It's seven." Mandi informed, not breaking eye contact with Jo. Neither of them moved. "But you know that. You don't want to go home, do you?" Jo tore her gaze away, picking up her overshirt.

"I need to go…" She repeated, stopping in the doorway of the shop. "But thanks, for the drink." Jo mumbled offhandedly, meaning to thank Mandi for more than that, but just unable to actually say it. Without any more hesitation, Jo finally got in her car and headed to her house, knowing that she'd find her enthusiastic dad, cheering over his winnings and already preparing to put them into the next race, not even caring to pay this week's bills. He was a reckless gambler, and got lost in the game… but he was still Jo's dad, and she knew that she'd do anything to protect him.

"Jo, you're late." Rod Mitchell glared at his only child, pissed off at her blatant disregard for time. "I expected you back hours ago."

"I was busy." She told him, feeling fired up for a fight.

"Busy? You've been complaining for me to come home for a week, and now that I'm here you ditch me? Come on Bud, we're closer than that." He tried to play the guilt card, his words filled with hurt. Jo sighed, cursing herself internally for letting him get to her.

"I'm sorry Dad, but I was just working on a car for a friend. I'm here now, so pizza?" Jo asked him halfheartedly, smiling a bit when he patted her on the back.

"In the microwave. Let's watch a movie. I'm thinking… Gone in Sixty Seconds?" He suggested, holding up their favorite movie. Jo laughed, nodding as she grabbed a plate and tossed some pizza on top.

"Sounds great. Breadsticks?"

"Of course Bud, I got your favorite." He pointed to the oven, turning back around to put the movie in. "Toss me a soda." Jo reached into the fridge, pulled out a cold cola and tossed it across the room. "Thanks, Kid." Jo smiled, carrying out her food as she sat on the couch. This is what she loved to do. Hang out with her dad, chat like old friends, and know that he's right there… These moments were rare, but when they did occur, she wouldn't trade them for the world. Sighing, she pushed the knowledge that the meal was paid for by money won off of a gamble, and that this probably wouldn't happen again for some time. Right now, she was just Rod's daughter, and they were just chilling like they used to… nothing else mattered.

* * *

><p>"Something wrong, honey?" Stacey asked her daughter, noticing that Mandi was unusually quiet at dinner. They were alone in the living room, watching one of Mandi's favorite shows, but the brunette seemed to have been in her own little world.<p>

"What? Sorry Mom, I was just thinking." She smiled at her mom, getting up and moving to the sofa so she would hug her mom. Stacey hummed, loving her daughter.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? You've hardly even spoke at supper." Mrs. Weatherly comforted her daughter, even though she had no idea what was wrong.

"Do you think I'm trustworthy?" Mandi blurted out, feeling tears start to form in her eyes. She buried her face in her mother's shoulder, not wanting to be seen crying.

"Honey, I know you are. Why? Did something happen?" Stacey was feeling a bit concerned now, patting Mandi soothingly on the back, rocking her slightly.

"They why wouldn't Jo trust me?" Stacey sighed, understanding a little bit more about the situation now.

"Dear, I kind of got the impression that Jo has a hard time with those things. I'm sure she does trust you, but she isn't very good at showing it." Stacey reassured her daughter, smiling since it wasn't anything too serious.

"How do you know?"

"Call it mother's intuition." Mrs. Weatherly replied, giving Mandi a squeeze. "Go to sleep, I'm sure you and Jo can talk about this tomorrow."

"Yeah, thanks Mom." Mandi sighed, pulling away from the embrace. "Goodnight." Mandi said, tiredly walking up to her room. She only hoped that Jo and her dad were getting along. She really didn't know anything about it, and that bothered her. Mandi felt dead set on getting to know Jo, and she doesn't back down easily.

* * *

><p><strong>So Jo's dad has a gambling problem? *gasp* This will certainly develope the plot a bit. Mandi and Jo are going to either get closer, or much farther apart... who knows? ;P I do... Haha, so if you really want to see another chapter posted soon... Leave a REVIEW andor PM... Thank you for reading.**

**-JZ**


	8. Bumpy Roads

**I know it's been a while! Haha, but brought by popular demand... I finally finished another chapter. I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but it took some hard thinking to get an idea to stick. So here ya have it.**

**REVIEW and PM! Thanks For reading!**

**I don't own mean girls 2 or 1**

**-JZ**

* * *

><p>"Hey Jo, are you okay?" Tyler quirked an eyebrow, his face scrunching in concern. It was Friday, and all week the blond biker had been off. She was more sarcastic than usual, and she wouldn't talk very much. Now, with three minutes left of class, Tyler finally built up the confidence to confront the girl.<p>

"I'm fine, Adams." Jo growled, rolling her eyes. Two minutes…

"Well, it's just that you've been acting weird." Tyler mumbles awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "And well… if something's bothering you…"

"Nope." Jo gave a smirk, staring at the shitty clock hanging above the door. One minute…

"Did you and Mandi have a fight or something?" He burst out, exasperated. A couple of the guys around them chuckled, probably imagining some creative reasons for the outburst. Jo glared at the boy, but tore her gaze away quickly. "I know you've been avoiding her."

"You don't know anything." Jo warned him, not at all nervous about smacking the jock in the face if he kept it up.

"I know that Mandi isn't taking your sudden evaporation very well. Seriously," The bell rang, and Tyler started to get his books together. "If you've got a problem, deal with it. Don't be a coward and run from it. You're just hurting the people that actually want to help." Tyler felt himself getting a little protective over his stepsister, and left the woods class without a second glance at the tomboy. Jo sat there for a few minutes until the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class.

"Get out of my class!" The teacher yelled at her when he came back in, a soda in his hand. Jo rolled her eyes. Meandering out into the empty halls. Not really feeling ambitious enough to go to class, she just wandered to the staircase. Her boots made a loud clattering as she walked down the deserted tiling, or maybe not so deserted.

"OMG!" A girl squealed, jumping away from some guy with short brown hair. "…Oh, it's just you." Chastity sighed, pushing the guy away. He frowned, grumbling as he headed off to class, trying to get his messy hair to lie flat now. "I thought you were the principal."

"Well, I'm not." Jo deadpanned, continuing her way down the staircase.

"Wait!" Chastity shrieked, grabbing Jo's arm as she walked by.

"Shut. Up." Jo hissed, putting her index finger to her lips in a 'shush' motion. "Or we'll both get caught."

"Where're you going?" Chastity continued babbling, ignoring Jo's harsh demand. Chastity knew her best friend, Mandi, had been trying to talk to the mechanic all week, but Jo happened to dodge each attempt. Taking a good look at the biker, Chastity could see the slight bloodshot eyes and exhaustion reeking off the other girl.

"Out of here." Jo muttered, pulling her keys out. A plan formulated in the twisted mind of the girly-girl.

"Oh really?" She mused, leaning into Jo, who rolled her eyes. However, instead of the suspected suggestive contact, Chastity snaked the keys from the other girl and took off as fast as her heels could take her. Jo blinked for a moment before chasing the other girl back up the steps. She saw Chastity skirt into a classroom, and Jo cursed out loud. Banging the nearest locker with her fist, she huffed, paced a few steps and slammed her fist into the locker again.

"Can I help you?" A teacher snapped, having come out to the hall to check what the ruckus was about.

"No, just couldn't get the thing to close." Jo growled out in irritation, before turning to go to her own class. Entering, and ignoring the disappointed sigh from the teacher, Jo sat in her desk. A few students started whispering, and Jo just sank her head into her crossed arms and slept the whole class. She started thinking that hotwiring the car wouldn't be a problem; however, she had locked it and didn't want to risk having to break the window. If ever there was a time to have a spare key…

**LINE BREAK**

"Why are you so cheery?" Mandi questioned accusingly, glaring at her best friend as they sat at lunch. The blond had a smile plastered to her face all day, and she wouldn't tell Mandi why until lunch, and now the brunette wanted answers.

"Hmm… oh nothing." The blond hummed, and Hope cocked an eyebrow.

"Did the doctors finally clear that STD?" Hope asked hopefully, still afraid to be too close to her friend. Chastity glared at her, but returned to her mischievous smiling nonetheless.

"I got that treated months ago." Chastity reminded her germ phobic friend.

"What is it?" The brunette demanded, leaning in close. Now she was curious, and needed to know.

"I may have stolen someone's keys?" Chastity was still grinning madly, a sense of accomplishment washing over her. Mandi just sighed, a little let down by this not-too-stellar news. "And this person may be none other than the very elusive, extremely sneaky, and criminally irresistible Jo Mitchell." Mandi's eyes went wide, and her chair squeaked as she jolted forward.

"What? How? When? Oh my god, you're the best!" Mandi cheered, and a few of the people from the other tables gave them weird looks, but just one ice-queen glare shut them up and turned them around. "Start talking!" Chastity was bemused by the excitement in the brunette's voice, and took the keys out of her bra, her hiding place for anything of value, and put them in Mandi's palm.

"Well, the fabulous mechanic was just about to skip school, adding to her obviously hot badass image, when she happened to find me in the stairwell." Chastity giggled, resting her chin on her hand.

"What were you doing in the stairwell?" Hope questioned, and the blond raised her eyebrows with a wink. Hope's face scrunched up and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh god, eww…"

"Shut up, tell the story." Mandi shushed their side topic.

"After interrupting a very unimpressive makeout session, Jo was about to head out to her car when I took the keys from her hand. I think she was in shock because I made it all the way up the stairs in heels before she even started chasing me." Chastity pointed down to her four inch heels, admiring them. "Can't avoid you forever now." Mandi smiled broadly, glancing around the lunch room, but finding no blond amongst the crowd. The bell rang, and the brunette headed off to class. Keys in her purse, and a little more pep in her step.

**LINE BREAK**

Jo was stood at her locker, staring blankly at the contents inside. Abby was ranting about some 'insensitive comment' Elliot gave her about a dress and whatever, but Jo wasn't really listening. She was far too busy anxiously tapping her foot, pondering a way to get her keys back. By now, the blond had no illusions that the brunette had the keys. The final bell had rang about five minutes ago, and Jo wasn't sure what to do at this point. She couldn't bolt to go home without keys, but there wasn't really any reason to stick around. Feeling her phone vibrate, Jo pulled the device from her pocket.

_**Mandi**__: 'Looking for sumthing?' _Jo read the text, gritting her teeth slightly. Mandi was toying with her, over a text no less!

_**Jo:**__ 'Give me my keys.' _Mandi could tell by the straight to business sense in the text, that Jo was pissed. However, at this point in time, Mandi didn't entirely care. She was going to make the blond reach a little farther than normal.

_**Mandi:**_ _'Maybe… ;)'_ Jo felt an odd smirk twitch at the corner of her mouth, and shook her head. The brunette was definitely toying with her. _'I see you hiding your cheesy ass smirk.'_

_**Jo:**__ 'Careful who you mess with Princess'_ Mandi cocked an eyebrow at that, glancing up from her phone only to be greet by a piercing stare from the sender across the hall. Her phone buzzing again, the brunette read the new message. 'Keys.'

_**Mandi:**__ 'Are you going to the party tonight?'_

_**Jo:**__ 'Wat does this have to do with my keys?'_ Mandi rolled her eyes, typical Jo…

_**Mandi:**__ 'Yes or no?'_

_**Jo:**__ 'Does this affect the outcome of my driving situation?'_

_**Mandi:**__ 'Absolutely'_ Grinding her teeth, Jo punched the inside of her locker. _'Don't hit things when you're pouting.'_

_**Jo:**__ 'I'm not pouting'_ Mandi grinned at the scowl on Jo's face. It was adorable.

_**Mandi:**__ 'Really? Fine, sulking.'_

_**Jo:**__ 'Keys, remember?'_

_**Mandi:**__ 'Party, remember?' _

_**Jo:**__ 'Fine, damn it. Now my fucking keys?'_

_**Mandi:**__ 'Meet me at your car. I'll be waiting ;)'_ Jo slammed her locker closed, watching the brunette already disappear.

"See ya…" Jo muttered to Abby, nearly feeling guilty at ignoring her friend. No backpack, no books, nothing… Jo refused to do anything school related this weekend. She just had her leather jacket pulled on as she left the building. Going straight to her car, she internally winced when she saw Mandi sitting in the passenger's seat, the car already running. Pulling the driver's door handle, Jo growled. The door was still locked. "Open it." She said, knowing that Mandi could read her lips.

'Please?' Mandi mouthed back, thoroughly enjoying having one hand up on Jo for once. Putting on her best fake smile, Jo did an extravagant mock bow, dipping her head.

"Open. Door. Now… please." Jo hissed out between gritted teeth. Mandi nodded, acknowledging that she understood the blond, and unlocked the door. "You're pushy today." Jo grumbled, giving Mandi an opportunity to get out. When the brunette didn't, Jo just put the car in reverse and tore out of the parking lot.

"Seems like I have to be just so I can have a conversation with you." Mandi countered, staring fully at the driver. Jo didn't respond, just taking the familiar route to the Weatherly girl's house. "I'm sorry, okay? We can just forget about it. I didn't know it'd upset you so much."

"I'm not upset." Jo shot back, her hands clenching tighter around the steering wheel.

"Oh, is that why your knuckles have been bruised and busted all week? Or maybe why you're showing up late to school? And I'm sure perfectly fine people just happen to avoid all their friends." Mandi vented, her eyes narrowing at the scoff she received. "What?"

"Just thinking… 'friends' don't typically forget so much stuff." Jo muttered, referring to the time they slept at Jo's. Mandi blushed, remembering how nice it felt to be so close to the mechanic.

"You're right. How about this then? Just tell me when you're ready?" Mandi suggested softly, surprising herself. "We won't forget it. We won't sweep it under a rug. And we won't argue about it… You can just talk about it when you're ready."

"There's nothing to talk about!" Jo shouted, denial lacing her words. Mandi just nodded, letting the driver catch her breath from the explosive outburst.

"Okay."

"I'm serious." Jo replied, glaring at the other girl.

"I know." Mandi agreed, smiling gently. Jo fidgeted, not sure how to respond since they weren't fighting anymore. The blond couldn't believe this was the same ice queen, leader of the Plastics, and well known life ruiner of the school.

"Well… good." She stated firmly, daring the other girl to call her out on her lie.

"Good." Mandi continued her 'killing with kindness' technique for the day. It had an interesting result, certainly not one she expected. Mandi could see what the anger in Jo's eyes really was, after the hostile responses had been taken away. Mandi could see the insecurities and uncertainty in the blonde's eyes. "So the party is at Chastity's and it starts at nine."

"Great, my favorite person…" Jo muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She relaxed a little at the change in subject, and pulled into the brunette's driveway.

"Want to come in?" Mandi offered, hoping the mechanic would agree. Mandi had noticed the increased amount of energy drinks in the car, and Jo's ragged appearance. She wouldn't be surprised if the girl had forgotten to eat every once in a while. "We could have a sandwich or something? I didn't see you at lunch."

"I thought we were fighting?" Jo asked, now completely confused. Mandi's giggle sent her into even more of a mental warp.

"No, we weren't. You were avoiding me, but we aren't in a fight. You know, sometimes… we can actually talk things through without a fight." Mandi responded, getting out of the car. "Come on in, my mom's been dying to know when you'd come by again."

"Err…" Jo pondered just throwing the car in reverse, but she put on a grimace. "Sure…" She was fucking starving, her mind having been on avoiding Mandi among other pressing matters. Mandi's face lit up like the Fourth of July. Getting out, and securely putting her keys in her pocket, Jo followed the brunette with hesitant steps. Opening the door, Mandi kicked off her heels and smiled. She felt extremely accomplished.

"Jo, it's nice to see you around." Mandi's mom smiled when she saw the two enter the kitchen. "I made some apple pie an hour ago. It should be cooled by now. Would you two like a piece?"

"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Weatherly." Jo nodded, turning to Mandi to answer the pie question.

"Please Jo, just call me Stacey. You're too polite for your own good, sweetie." Stacey smiled, taking out a couple plates. "So pie?"

"My mom makes really good apple pie." Mandi enticed, taking a seat at the barstool. Jo nodded again, but kept her head low.

"Thank you." She muttered when Mandi's mom placed the plates in front of them.

"You're very welcome. I need to go check the laundry, but help yourself to more pie." Stacey hummed pleasantly, walking out of the room.

"Go ahead Jo, it's not going to bite you." Mandi teased, taking a bite of her own pie. She moaned semi loudly as the still slightly warm inside melted in her mouth. Jo tensed for some reason unknown to herself, unable to get Mandi's moan out of her mind. "Alright, open up." Jo snapped to attention, cursing herself internally for letting her mind wander off. Mandi held the blonde's fork, a piece of pie balancing on top.

"Very funny." Jo chuckled, making a grab for the fork. Mandi pulled it back, mirth playing in her eyes.

"Na ah, you've been daydreaming this whole time. You see, this fork is pretty pointy and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself, so I guess you'll just have to suffer. Safety first, you know?" Mandi explained innocently, giggling when she was greeted with a light blush on the other girl's cheeks. "Open up, this is serious business." Mandi attempted to sound stiff and sincere, but her face cracked into smiles.

"Aren't you cle—ooohff" Jo wasn't expecting the brunette to actually jam the pie in her mouth, let alone while she was in midsentence. Mandi smiled brightly, tenderly pulling the fork from the blonde's mouth.

"Now chew…" Mandi instructed, a bit shocked when Jo immediately started chewing. The mechanic's eyes went wide, and she took the fork from the brunette, taking a bite on her own. "So… you like it?" Mandi was pretty sure she knew the answer, but felt obligated to ask anyways.

"Yeah… Your mom is a really good cook." Jo complimented, continuing with her pie. Mandi's day went from feeling accomplished to being flat out triumphant. They proceeded to eat their pie in peace, and Mandi's mom came back in.

"So, how do you kids like it? Not too much cinnamon?" Stacey asked, pleased that Jo had nearly finished hers.

"No Mrs. Weatherly, it is perfect." Jo complimented again, then quickly tried to backtrack. "I mean Sta—"

"Jo, it's alright. You'll get used to it eventually." Stacey assured the tomboy, putting some pie in a container and setting it aside. "Now remember, when you decide to drive off, make sure you bring this with you." She said, pointing to the container. "I don't want to hear any 'I forgot it,' comprende?" Stacey laughed at the smirk on Jo's face.

"I could just take it on a paper plate." Jo suggested, but Mandi's mom shook her head.

"This way, you have to come back." Stacey winked, laughing as she headed out the room and up the stairs. Mandi felt grateful her mom was being so helpful, but was slightly annoyed that Jo was more relaxed with her mom than her right now.

"So what kind of party is this going to be?" Jo asked skeptically, receiving a sigh.

"A party-party… you know…" Mandi nodded, grabbing a nearby pen. "Here's the directions." She wrote them on Jo's hand, and the mechanic smirked.

"Alright, I'll be there."

**LINE BREAK**

It was 10:15 when Jo finally drove up in her Impala, pulling into the profligate driveway. Jo was starting to wonder if everyone had big houses around here. She found a parking space pretty easily, but that didn't mean the place wasn't packed. She could hear the music playing, shaking the interior of her car as she turned the key off. People were everywhere. Dancing, making out, skateboarding, doing stupid but hilarious stunts. Getting out of her car, Jo had to dodge a flying marshmallow that some guys were throwing at each other. It was so loud, and such a huge spectacle that Jo couldn't believe the cops hadn't busted the party up yet. When Jo finally reached the front door, she realized that even with the size of the house, it was pretty crowded.

"Jo!" Mandi shrieked, her voice a little slurred and she pulled Jo in by the hand.

"How have the cops not busted this up?" Jo asked the brunette, seriously not believing her eyes as a group of guys took played beer pong and another group of party goers were mixing drinks, playing a sort of guessing game.

"What?" Mandi shouted, unable to hear the girl over the roar of the music. Tripping a little, Mandi sighed as she was caught by strong arms. Looking up, Mandi's eyes connected with dark blue irises.

"Careful Princess…" Jo muttered, pulling Mandi back to her feet. Giving the brunette a once over, Jo smirked. "Heels while you're drunk? Bad idea."

"I'm not drunk." Mandi huffed, rolling her eyes and playfully swatting the other girl's arm. "So what were you asking anyways?"

"How have the cops not busted this up? I could hear the music and shouting from the street." Jo pulled Mandi closer to her so she didn't get trampled by some jocks throwing a football around inside.

"Oh, well Mandi's dad is the district attorney… and her uncle is like… the police head honcho or something." Mandi shrugged, feeling all warm and fuzzy as her body was pressed up against Jo's. She really liked the closeness… but before she could relish in it anymore, Jo pulled back awkwardly.

"Oh… Well I guess that makes sense." Jo mumbled, scratching the back of her neck nervously. The haze filled gaze Mandi had been directing at her had caused some odd emotions to swirl around in her stomach, and Jo was not ready for that. Mandi giggled, surprised as just how cute the mechanic was when she was nervous.

"Relax super hero." Mandi teased, grabbing a red cup from the counter next to them. "Here, drink this… it'll help calm all those big bad nerves you've got."

"What is this?" Jo questioned, chancing a glance inside, unable to distinguish the contents.

"I don't know… but it'll help chill you out." Mandi added, then grabbed Jo's sleeve and began to drag the girl through the house and into another room. There were less people in this room, and Jo was a little relieved.

"Hey Hottie, where's the uniform?" A guy came up to Mandi, grinning at the girl. He stepped in really close, and was about to pinch her butt when she stepped backwards, right into Jo.

"Eww gross, go away, loser." Mandi insulted him, not at all interested in the guy.

"Come on, let's get out of here?" He suggested again, and during this whole thing, Jo took a long drink of whatever was in the cup.

"Dude, she said back off. Now get lost." Jo growled, stepping in front of Mandi. The guy stared at Jo, attempting to win the battle they were having, but his gaze faltered and he looked away.

"Well, if you change your mind, here's my—"

"Real cool, now beat it." Jo didn't know why she was so pissed off at the guy. _**'Because he kept hitting on your friend, and she didn't want that.'**_ Jo tried to rationalize, but even in her mind it sounded like a lame excuse. With a final huff, the drunk boy left the room.

"Thanks, Jo… I guess you are my hero." Mandi hummed, leaning into the mechanics shoulder. Jo tensed up, immediately swallowing the last of what was in the cup.

"Yeah… whatever…" Jo mumbled, setting the cup down. Mandi smiled to herself, finding a jealous Jo very sexy indeed.

"Come on, let's play the game!" Mandi cheered, tugging the blond forward and towards the group. "Mind if we join?" Everyone nodded, and Chastity happened to be making out with some guy next to her. Pulling away, she pointed to the two.

"Glad you made it, Jo!" Jo just shrugged, still pissed off at the other girl for stealing her keys. "Hmm… moody. That's hot." Mandi stifled a giggle at the slight blush on the mechanic's cheeks.

"Fuck off." Jo growled, glancing around. "What the hell are we playing?"

"It's called Never." A girl piped up, a shot in her hand. "One person says something like 'I have never gone skinny dipping' and if anyone here has, they've got to take a shot. If they haven't, they're safe."

"I'll start." Chastity grinned wildly, tapping her chin in deep thought. "I have never… studied for a test." Jo rolled her eyes, not really surprised. Almost everyone had to take a shot, and Jo threw hers back, not minding the burn of the strong liquor.

"I have never kissed a girl." Mandi said next, and Jo smirked, throwing the shot back like it was nothing. Staring curiously at the blond mystery, Mandi couldn't help but get a little wrapped up in everything.

The drinking game lasted for about an hour, and with the dancing and joking around, it was already two in the morning. Most people cleared out, either too drunk to drink anymore, or too passed out to drink. Right now, Mandi was leaning on Jo, her arm slung around the other girl's neck as she used the mechanic for support. It wasn't that she was plastered… but she was beyond buzzed. Staring up at the girl holding her still, Mandi grinned.

"What?" Jo shot an eyebrow up, her posture a bit softer now that she had a good buzz going on. The blond had her arm wrapped around the brunette's waist, keeping her balanced on her feet. Jo wasn't any lightweight, and she was fairing way better than her brunette counterpart.

"Nothing…" Mandi answered, muffling a laugh.

"What's so funny?" Jo chuckled, bemused at the drunk girl.

"Nothing!" Mandi denied, her other hand holding Jo's shirt, pushing up against solid abs. "You're so hot." She thought, and by the widened eyes, Mandi realized that she had said her thoughts out loud.

"Ah, th-thanks… I guess… yeah…" Jo tried to back away, and put some distance between them, but Mandi just held on.

"And you're fucking adorable when you stutter." Swallowing, Jo kept her mouth shut, knowing that only inaudible world fragments would leave her lips. "Hmm… no smartass comment?"

"You're drunk… I should drive you home." Jo felt a lot more sober now.

"Not a good idea." Mandi giggled, patting Jo's shoulder. "My parents would kill me if they found out I was drunk."

"Uh… Damn…" Jo cursed, only half talking about their conversation. Jo felt her body go red hot at any contact with the brunette. For some reason, the ice queen was unconsciously controlling her reactions. "You can crash at my place… if you want…"

"Going home with Jo Mitchell… can't say no to that." Mandi continued to play up her drunkenness, stumbling towards the door. When they finally got in the Impala, Jo turned on the AC. "Aren't you freezing?"

"Nope." Jo responded curtly, tossing the girl her leather jacket. "Here, if you're cold." Mandi put it on, noticing the white knuckled grip on the steering wheel.

"Hmm, and I thought the party would loosen you up?" Mandi mused, resting a hand on Jo's knee. "You're so tense all the time. It's not good for your health."

"I'll live." Jo muttered, squirming a bit in her seat. Mandi had to hide her smirk. As tipsy as she was, it didn't blind her from the fact that Jo was jumpy.

"You know, there are… "other" things that can relax you. Really take your mind… off… of things." Mandi whispered seductively, her hand that was laying on Jo's knee now was rubbing circles.

"Cool." Jo fidgeted, her voice an octave higher than normal.

"Mmhmm…" Mandi moaned, staring up at the moon before turning her dark eyes back to the blond. "Do I make you nervous?"

"We're here!" Jo unbuckled, jumping out of the car almost before she turned it off. Mandi smiled to herself, taking that as a yes. Getting out a little slower, she staggered into the house. "Yup, well here ya go. There's a blanket in the room if you get cold. I'll take the couch." Jo said quickly, trying to untie her boots.

"No way, you are not sleeping on the couch." Mandi stated, gripping the back of Jo's shirt and dragging the biker down the hallway. Jo stumbled a little as she was pulled backwards down the hall and into her room. She didn't even have time to protest. Pushing Jo on the bed, the mechanic stared up at the brunette, lying on her back. "Relax, Mitchell." Mandi smirked sweetly, and Jo gulped subconsciously. She felt like she was being stalked, and Mandi would pounce at any moment.

"You're drunk—" Jo started, but Mandi straddled her slowly, sitting on Jo's stomach and putting her index finger on Jo's lips, silencing the other girl.

"Maybe I am…" Leaning in until their lips were millimeters apart, Mandi whispered. "Or maybe I'm not. Just shut up, and find out." Closing the distance, Mandi connected their lips, reveling in the softness. Jo responded immediately, trying to sit up. "Na ah… Relax…" Mandi commanded, pushing Jo's shoulders down firmly flat on the bed.

"How can I relax with you sitting on top of me?" Jo remarked sarcastically, and Mandi smirked at the defense mechanism.

"Do I make you that nervous?" Mandi questioned again, kissing Jo again. Biting the blonde's bottom lip gently, she caused the girl to open her mouth. Their tongues fought for dominance, and Mandi felt Jo tense up. "I swear if you try to flip us we will end up on the floor, and I will hurt you." Mandi warned, surprising Jo with her correct prediction, before returning to the kiss. As the makeout session got more heated, Mandi scooted down, and rubbed Jo's stomach with one hand while the other kept Jo's left shoulder pinned to the bed.

"You drive me fucking insane." Jo whined, when Mandi pulled apart so they could breathe again.

"Is it the kissing, or the rubbing?" Mandi teased, and Jo shot her a glare, but didn't deny either. "So… would this… drive you… crazy… too?" Mandi asked between placing soft kisses on Jo's collarbone and up her neck. The mechanic's hands rested on the brunette's ass, giving it a rhythmic massage. "Is that a yes?" Mandi teased, her breath blowing on the wet spot on Jo's neck, causing a cooling sensation to course through the girl.

"Do you know how fucking hot you are?" Jo complained, leaning up on her elbows to kiss Mandi forcefully, causing the brunette to groan in pleasure. "Everything about you drives me fucking wild."

"That's good to know." Mandi mused, placing soft wispy kisses on the spot between Jo's jaw and her ear. "Mmmm, god Jo you're so hot." Mandi hummed, nuzzling her nose in warmth of the crook of Jo's neck. Before long, the brunette fell asleep, lying flat on the girl below her. Arms wrapped protectively around the cheerleader, Jo felt her sexual frustration rise, but she couldn't be mad at the girl on top of her.

"Goodnight, Princess." Jo whispered, and she could have sworn she felt Mandi smirk into her skin. But before she could call the brunette out on it, Jo felt herself succumb to the long night of partying, and she fell asleep peacefully for the first time in weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>So just when Jo starts to relax... Mandi falls asleep? Well she was kinda drunk, and it was probably about three or four in the morning by that time ;) Well, I hope you all liked the chapter! And don't forget to PM or REVIEW!<strong>

**-JZ**


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